ADVERSVM is a death/doom band from Germany who formed in 2015.  Their latest album, 'Vama Marga,' is their third full length album; they have also released a demo. 'Vama Marga,' is an album that is permeated with a hellish atmosphere and absolutely reeks of fire and brimstone-the musical equivalent of being burned alive while also being buried. The pacing and flow of the album is solid, with the songs being glacially slow for the most part though there are moments where the band picks up the tempo.  This is exactly the kind of doom I like: slow, dark, and frightening.  There are ten tracks, and it is equally divided up between five full length songs and five short instrumentals.  By themselves,  the instrumentals really aren't that special but in context of the full album, especially if you listen straight through, they definitely fit the atmosphere.  Honestly, they aren't bad but I could give or take with them.  The other five tracks are the real meat of the album-and they are outstanding and represent how doom of this style should be treated.

The production captures the atmosphere and mood of the album-the riffs and keys are both sweltering-and they each get an equal presence within the mix.  The same can be said for the bass and drums.  The keys are definitely very important to this album-they aren't there just to be background noise but are as important to the songs as any of the other elements.  These aren't symphonic keys or bombastic orchestrations-they are as cold and dismal as death itself. "Emanation,' immediately sets the tone for the whole album while showing how well the guitars and keys work together.  Both hang in the air like ghosts in the wind, a heavy and foreboding presence. After the three minute mark, the drums kick the energy up on the song as the deep, rumbling death growls crush everything in their path.  The double bass and bass guitar hit hard, a dense rhythmic package that also pushes the song every forward.

Near the end, a slow, chugging riffs mixed in with harsh ambience and the song finishes out strongly. The band rips open the tempo for 'Sinistrum,' and contains a lot energy that kind of bottles itself up as it goes along but explodes in short bursts of extreme clarity. The tone of the guitars on this song is encompassing, a black hole that pulls all the elements together before their eventual destruction by song's end. The beginning of 'Feind,' is laced with darkened ambient melodies that just add to the inescapable presence of the approaching beast. Out of all the songs, I feel this one really exemplifies how well the keys and guitars pull off the dreary yet brutal nature of the album. The later half of the song features clean tones but does little to alleviate the horror but does provide more dynamics for the song to work with.

'V.O.A.D' is a trip unto itself, a mini epic that somehow captures the mood of the album but also seems a bit...well, trippy. It is hard to explain but there is something unnerving about this particular song.  Is it the off putting lead guitar?  The cathedral and towering keys?  Both? Regardless, the song is really out there in the best way. At over ten minutes in length, 'Vindex' is the longest song on the album.  This one is more riff based than some of the others and includes movements that go from snail pace to all out destruction.  This is a well rounded song that offers a bit of everything that has come before it. ADVERSVM has crafted a terrifying album with 'Varma Marga,' but despite the horrors that wait within, this is a trip well worth braving. . If you are at all a fan of anything involving death and doom, this needs to be on your to do list.