My last review of this year shall be something out of the ordinary – as if my ramblings ever did adhere to a consistent style, to be honest. The thing is, I managed to find something rather underground from the Tuonela Magazine‘s promo archives. VAARCLOCK is an instrumental post-rock project initiated in Timisoara, Romania, by Erwin Weber in 2013, although the project’s first independently released full-length album, entitled “Contururi,” did not see the light of day until this summer, on July 3rd, 2025, to be exact. As per the conventions of pretty much any sub-genre with the “post“ prefix, VAARCLOCK‘s debut album was also released in a physical format, on a limited cassette run of 50 copies. So, we’re talking about genuine underground stuff here, folks! The music is predominantly atmospheric post-rock with subtle metal leanings, with a couple of tracks bordering on full-on ambient soundscapes, even. Twelve years may seem like a mighty long time to wait for the release of a band’s first full-length, but judging by the Bandcamp profile, this project has not been idle exactly. The discography includes a good number of singles and two EPs. So, let’s see how this endeavor fares in the somewhat saturated post-rock realm.
The album kicks off with a slightly unusual riffage, entitled “Roiz.” I mean unusual in the sense that the main riff in the first half of the song sounds exceptionally groovy in the post-rock context. The standard procedure in this particular genre is not about making you want to shuffle your feet to the music, but rather to induce hazy reveries and lucid dreaming. Not even those more riff-oriented bands, such as RUSSIAN CIRCLES, PELICAN, or EXTENSA, opt for funky basslines of this sort very often. In the atmospheric sections, the effect is almost as if a prog-metal band were having a chill-out moment amidst all those quantum riffs. The choruses (if there are such in music like this) adhere more to the traditional post-rock aesthetic. The project’s name, VAARCLOCK, is an anagram of the Romanian word for werewolf, suggesting that the line between good and evil can be blurred at times. Well, the music does not sound particularly evil, but the music is highly evocative as per the gold standard of the genre. What the album does not have in common with a good majority of post-rock outfits is the habit of using single words as song titles. I mean, some of the genre’s established names tend to name their songs with titles that could easily pass as mini novels. As for the meaning of the titles, I haven’t got the faintest clue. Are these titles in Romanian? I cannot say.
After the opener, the album begins to lean more toward the traditional post-rock flourishes. You know the drill: from whisper to a scream over the time span of plus-5 minutes (Okay, two of the tracks are shorter, but you get the point), seemingly never-ending guitar ostinatos over modal chord progressions, clean tremolo lines drenched in reverb, and most importantly, no vocals whatsoever. These are the go-to tricks on almost every post-rock album, so it’s not exactly easy to stand out from the competition. VAARCLOCK does run the risk of sounding quite similar to most of their post-rock contemporaries, but to give credit where it is due, a couple of tracks in this selection break out of the mold rather nicely. The third track, “Ivoa,” recalls the haunting atmosphere of JAKOB‘s 2006 album “Solace,” as well as some of the best LONG DISTANCE CALLING bangers. Then, the shimmering ambiance of “Ibas” creates a nice contrast to those upbeat, more riff-driven tracks – the closer, “Aups,” even more so. Sure, if you’ve had a keen eye on the scene for some time, the album does not offer much by way of surprises, but then again, I’m pretty sure the most battle-hardened post-rock aficionados aren’t necessarily looking for any. It is a notoriously tough crowd to please with outlandish experimentations. Still, they purr like a cat if you offer them some nice sound meditations, as long as the fundamental characteristics of the genre are paid sufficient attention to. In this respect, “Contururi” qualifies as a decent post-rock outing. It is not exactly mind-blowing, but very few post-rock albums are, to be honest. Most importantly, it piqued my interest in checking out those earlier VAARCLOCK releases as well.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Roiz
- Nidj
- Ivoa
- Ibas
- Eets
- Aups
Lineup
Erwin Weber – everything? (There’s no info about the lineup whatsoever)
Label
Independent
