VVARP - Power Held In Stone
Album Review
★★★★★
Melbourne's occult doom trio VVARP have conjured something genuinely unsettling with Power Held In Stone – a 34-minute descent into folk horror that feels like discovering a cursed artifact in your grandmother's attic. This isn't just another fuzz-laden trudge through familiar doom territories; it's a meticulously crafted nightmare that burrows under your skin and stays there.
From the moment the opening track unfurls its tendrils, you're pulled into VVARP's imagined folk horror landscape – a place where ancient rebellions echo through stone monuments and forgotten rituals bleed through the cracks of modernity. The band's vision is remarkably cohesive, each of the five tracks functioning as chapters in a story that exists somewhere between Wicker Man dread and cosmic horror revelation.
What sets Power Held In Stone apart from the endless parade of Wizard worship is VVARP's willingness to embrace genuine weirdness. The dungeon synth interludes don't feel like afterthoughts or pretentious diversions – they're essential breathing spaces that allow the album's oppressive atmosphere to fully permeate. These moments create a sense of archaeological discovery, as if you're uncovering layers of some buried civilization's final transmission.
Jason Fuller's production work at Goatsound deserves special recognition. The mix captures both the crushing weight of the riffs and the subtle details that make this record so immersive. Guitars don't just drone – they whisper secrets. The rhythm section doesn't just pound – it summons. Every element feels deliberate, from the way feedback decays into silence to how the dungeon synth passages emerge from and dissolve back into the guitar work.
The concept of rebellion against invaders resonates on multiple frequencies here. There's the obvious historical narrative, but VVARP seem equally concerned with more abstract forms of resistance – the old ways pushing back against encroaching modernity, ancient energies refusing to be buried beneath progress. It's this layered approach that elevates Power Held In Stone beyond simple concept album territory into something that feels genuinely mythic.
The album's 34-minute runtime is perfectly calibrated. VVARP understand that doom's power lies not in endless repetition but in knowing exactly when to apply pressure and when to release it. Each track feels essential, building toward a conclusion that doesn't provide resolution so much as acknowledgment – some doors, once opened, can never be fully closed.
Power Held In Stone stands as one of the year's most accomplished doom releases, a reminder that the genre's best practitioners aren't just following templates but actively expanding what heavy music can accomplish. VVARP have created something rare: a concept album that actually deserves the concept, and a doom record that understands the difference between heaviness and genuine gravity.
Essential listening for anyone who believes doom metal should transport as much as it crushes.
Out Now(and a Doom Metal must have):
https://vvarp.bandcamp.com/album/power-held-in-stone
https://darkhedonisticunionrecords.bigcartel.com/
VVARP: An awesome chat with these glorious visionaries
On the Journey & Evolution
It's been four years since First Levitations. How has VVARP evolved between that tape and Power Held In Stone? What did you learn about yourselves as a band during that time?
Claudia:
I think we definitely settled into our sound, particularly with things like vocals, and figuring out how all our influences fit together into a cohesive vision.
You've described this as the soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. When did that conceptual framework emerge? Was it always the plan to create something this cinematically cohesive, or did it develop organically?
Claudia:
Folk horror is a big influence for us and so the idea for the album being like a film of its own really was there from the start. I personally find having a visual component (even just conceptually) to be an important part of the creative process. So I feel like it all evolved quite naturally from there.
Melbourne's doom scene has been quietly building strength for years. How has being part of that community shaped VVARP's sound and approach? Any local bands or venues that have been particularly influential?
Scott:
I feel for me personally, it was just constantly going to shows, especially where I currently live. I'm in a central part of Naarm/Melbourne that makes it very easy to travel to so many shows, so that's been a big part of it for me at least. Playing in other bands now and in the past has allowed me a pretty big scope of things. I feel in terms of Doom bands (especially when it comes to drumming) were Whitehorse, Bract (despite them not having a drummer), and Religious Observance (Claudia’s other band).
The album deals with "old ways clashing with new" – rebellion against invaders. In 2024, how do you see these themes manifesting? Is this purely historical mythology or does it reflect contemporary anxieties?
John:
Old ways clashing with new is a staple trope of Folk Horror tales. I think it’s pervasive because it makes sense no matter what year you’re in - no matter what, there’s going to be a struggle with change in whichever form it takes.
The concept for the record is meant to stand on its own, I suppose… But whatever parallels people draw from the album to "contemporary anxieties” are fair - I certainly don’t want to prescribe how this thing gets interpreted.
The dungeon synth interludes are brilliantly integrated rather than feeling like separate entities. How did you approach weaving these atmospheric pieces into the heavier material? What role do they play in the album's narrative?
John:
On the previous record, we transitioned between songs with less melodic elements - guitar feedback, delays, reverb etc. For this album, we wanted to challenge ourselves and this seemed like a good way to do it. We tried to have the interludes start in one key and then modulate to the key the next song is in to bridge that gap in music, to hopefully feel more part of the overall composition and flow of the album.
Narratively, the interludes are (well to me at least) quite evocative of a time long ago - which helps ground the folk horror narrative in the past.
You mention "souls trapped in stone communicating through the generations." There's something deeply unsettling about that image. Can you elaborate on how this concept influenced the songwriting and arrangement?
John:
This line specifically relates to Stone Silhouette - and the album title is also taken from a lyric in this track, too.
In 2022 I toured a few notable seeing stones and henges in the UK and found the experience of visiting these places really inspiring, and returning to Melbourne I devoured a lot of Folk Horror that deals with this imagery. Stuff like “Psychomania,” “In The Earth,” “The Wicker Man” etc. I basically wrote my own tale centred around a person getting trapped in the stone, and trying to communicate with people as time goes on. For me, there’s something both very cool and very unsettling about carved rocks and arranged stone from years ago still being here. I don’t know how else to explain it!
Working with Jason Fuller at Goatsound – what did he bring to the table that helped realise your vision? The production feels both crushing and nuanced.
Scott:
Since he recorded the first record, I felt he just kind of understood where we were going. With that “Folk” aspect felt as though we didn’t have to constantly keep pushing louder and louder; that kind of restraint allowed for a more intense heaviness that felt fitting conceptually to me. His approach feels calm, but precise and he can tell you where the energy needed to lie.
The folk horror aesthetic has become increasingly popular in metal, but Power Held In Stone feels genuinely steeped in that tradition rather than just borrowing surface elements. What draws you to those themes and imagery?
Claudia:
There’s something fascinating to me about the mystery and sacredness of it all. There’s this tension between the beauty of the natural world, and something violent and dark, which is interesting to me both visually and conceptually.
On Craft & Underground Ethos
The album clocks in at exactly 34 minutes across five tracks. That feels very intentional. How important is restraint and editing to VVARP's creative process?
John:
34 minutes is really just a happy accident. I do believe in the strange power of numbers, though, and there have been a few cases throughout the production and release of this record where things line up in a strange way. I don’t have an explanation for it.
Speaking from my perspective, I have tried really hard to distil things down over the years. I’ve been writing music and releasing it for about 15 years, and being critical of your own work is really important, but really tough to do in practice. Equally though, this is in service of trying to make our own sound more unique, and trying to respect people listening. As a fan myself, I think having an album fit on a single record rather than a double vinyl is my preference.
Leave ‘em wanting more and all that.
Your "FFO" list spans Electric Wizard to Mort Garson soundtracks – quite a range. How do you balance the weight of traditional doom with these more experimental influences without losing coherence?
Scott:
I feel time was a big factor in this. Being able to take our time and think and reflect on what we were making for a very long duration really helped in tapping into each other in terms of sound and aesthetics.
DHU Records for vinyl, the whole underground network of labels and zines – how crucial is maintaining that DIY infrastructure for bands like VVARP? Does staying underground feel like a conscious choice or just the natural habitat?
Scott:
Easily natural habitat. We’ve all played in DIY culture for so long it's just a part of who we are. Playing in so many other bands, both in the past and current hasn’t changed for me and why I started playing music and in bands in the first place.
On the Occult & Folk Horror
"Doors beyond our perception" suggests hidden realities bleeding through. Without getting too mystical, how does the occult influence your creative process? Is it atmosphere or something deeper?
Scott:
Personally, the occult allows me a freedom to be myself I am usually not able to attain through any other means, I grew up in a catholic setting and being creative within that occult sphere allows me to understand myself better, it applies to pretty much anything I do as a person in any practice I do as a form of catharsis and liberation from my worries. So something deeper for sure.
The album art and presentation clearly matter to VVARP. How do you approach the visual elements? Do they emerge from the music or develop in parallel?
Claudia:
I would say doing the illustrations does develop in parallel. I suppose because we already have this visual component to the overall concept, it develops quite organically alongside the music.
You've created something that feels like a complete statement with Power Held In Stone. Where does VVARP go from here? Do you see yourselves expanding on these themes or exploring entirely new territories?
John:
It is kind of you to say that! I think we’ll always try to keep it interesting for ourselves first and foremost. I don’t know how that’ll pan out, but there are evolutions and expansions in this record that weren’t there in the previous one, and probably I’ll expect more of that. In terms of themes, I still feel like the realm of the occult is really interesting to me, despite it being heavily trodden ground to some. I can see some continuation from what we’ve laid out in
Power Held In Stone going forward, though.
For readers who might be discovering VVARP through this album, what do you hope they take away from Power Held In Stone? What would make this record successful in your eyes?
John:
Honestly, I’m trying to capture the attention and interest of my inner 19-year-old. Procrastinating schoolwork by sitting down and reading lyrics, looking at the artwork and going in for repeat listens. Success for me is having someone get excited enough about it to go back again for more.
VVARP contains some wonderful creatives in the band. What do band members do outside of audio violence, and what is the crossover or tie-in to the musical output?.
Scott:
I’d say there is definitely a crossover in my own artistic practice as a creative, I am a painter and video artist experimenting with VHS (we spent a lot of time remixing the video into vhs and ripping it back to digital and so on) with analogue gear. My painting practice is related in terms of a kind of occult practice in relation to earthly materials or the ripping, tearing and renewing of scrap and remixing to create new forms with collage
and painting and drawing. So much of it is deeply rooted in tapping into a self and a power within those materials such as stone, wood, earth and so on.
John:
I work in creative and video production when I’m not doing music stuff, and it definitely has a tie in at times. I was lucky that the band were supportive of me taking the reigns on our most recent video (although we all pitched in, and Scott did the VHS processing as mentioned) for “A Path Through The Veil”, and outside of that I have been writing and directing short films and trying to get them screened in festivals for a couple of years. Video and music are both created in a non-linear way, so I think about them both in similar ways now.
I’m an illustrator and I study graphic design. I suppose that’s why I keep referencing having a visual aspect to the creative process. My own illustration work is inspired by similar themes so it all ties together nicely.
Thanks for your time!!!
(All band photos lifted from their social media pages, if you see a picture you like on their pages support and follow the photographer)
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