Review: “Guilded Abyss” by Valdur

Having spent the past seven years digging graves with other projects including Cabinet, Oreamnos and Sxuperion, drummer and mastermind Matthew returns to his first frostbitten love in Blackened Death Metal project Valdur to offer “Guilded Abyss“. An album recorded over a two year period between 2023 and 2025 at the Bloody Mountain Bunker, its the first new material from the project since 2018’s “Goat of Iniquity” and reunites the trio responsible for the crimes against humanity that are the bands past three albums. That means the return of guitarist Vuke and bassist William however this time live vocalist Jackson (Assault Sorcery, Lightning Swords of Death, Ritual Combat) is also part of the game…

A sinister and oppressive atmosphere swirls like her ghost in the fog as “Hailing Molten Meteors” reveals its true form, gathering pace with maddening, distorted Black Metal riffs and relentless pummeling percussion. In this savage post-apocalyptic realm the vocals are nothing more than an instrument of sonic destruction, spitting venom, wrath and fury into the cavernous void. A scalding opening track, it serves only to summon the men in white coats who provide a straight jacket and padded room at the asylum for those who would dare listen. The same could be said of the brutal “Mangled and Rotting (Spiritus Mortuus)“, a track so bleak and cold it sends a shiver down the spine in the warmest of climates. Nuanced lead guitars are a nice touch, buried in the mix underneath the sonic weight of the almost industrial drum sound, a few moments of coral like sounds giving an ethereal quality that disturbs. Relentless drone sounds that give the impression of a backwards sound gnaw at the brain stem like a cannibal, the primal nature of this beast one that may cause battery acid nausea. Title track “Guilded Abyss” dives headlong into the void, pushing the depths of depravity to hitherto unheard new lows, the grinding guitars and demonic roars forcing the discerning listener to drink poison until they become immune. Quirky electronic sounds rear their ugly head at various points but don’t break the white noise like obscurity of the atmosphere, instead burning up on descent before they reach the ground. Is this what they use for ensuring sleep deprivation before water torture at places that the powers that be refuse to admit exist?

Instrumental “Doomed” is an essential part of 2017’s “Divine Cessation” and so to return to it for a sequel in “Doomed Pt.II” feels like something of a nostalgia trip. A slow, distorted crushing anthem of Industrial Death Metal that exposes the darker more deprived side of the bands sphere of influence, this rendition actually feels like it could be one left over from the demos of “Filth Pig” era Ministry. Returning to something more organic, the quartet of self confessed creators of obscure music for mellifluous minds offer “Drinking from the Chalice of Banishment”, a feral beast of a tune that is both punishing and ultimately rewarding. Nuances burst out of the mix like the Alien from John Hurt’s chest in 1979, the howling plague winds, eerie haunting leads and moments that sound like they could be saxophone making way for video game gunshots. In the space between genius and madness is where you’ll find this avant-garde formula coming into its own but be warned, it burns like wire.

There are moments that are reminiscent of the works of Brendan Auld projects like Snorlax or Resin Tomb and while the origins of Valdur project pre-date those projects, its clear they share the same realm of existence. Haunting and eerie “Stars of Belial” brings together many of the earlier elements with restless and relentless drumming, disturbing samples, Black Metal guitars and even ethereal like choral moments all playing their part. This could easily be the soundscape playing inside the mind of Jack Torrence during his violent acts in The Shining because even though its not violent in its own right, it could certainly drive you to it. The final dance macabre of the record is “Waves of Boiling Water/Molten Meteors Pt. II” which you can picture Zachary Ezrin from Imperial Triumphant enjoying alongside a cup of Earl Grey. These are the songs of Valdur, Siberian hell sounds from which resistance is futile [7/10]

Track Listing

“Guilded Abyss” by Valdur is out 3rd October 2025 via Bloody Mountain Records and is available over at bandcamp