Review by Emma on April 7, 2009.

Of the hordes of bands that BlackMetal.com has put out, Valdur is not the worst I’ve heard. But they certainly don’t make the mark in this split with neighboring California band Lightning Swords Of Death.

Valdur sound can be described as basic recorded-in-your-basement, Black Metal. No further description needed. The musicianship is good. I give props to their drummer Lord Sxuperion, because 70% of the split is blast beats. Valdur has its moments with some riffs and slight vocal variation in ‘Blodhevn/Vendetta’ But someone needs to remind them that as wonderful as the sound of blast beats are, they need to be balanced with some variation and bridges to be fully appreciated. I want to move the track time with my cursor and be able to tell the difference between 0:34 and 5:27. I would make an exception if there were some truly awesome riffs that soared, but this isn’t the case here. The one song that saved me from completely writing off Valdur was ‘Spears Torrent’ for its nice acoustic bit.

If you are one to like a general ‘hum’ that requires no listening commitment on low volume, add Valdur to your shopping list.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship:5
Atmosphere:5
Production:4
Originality:2
Overall:4.5

Rating: 4.1 out of 10