��What can I say? As a kid who came of age in the late 1980s, I had (and still have) a strong connection to the darker alternative rock sounds of that era, the moody, melancholy, introspective nature of bands like Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, The Mission al resonating with me in a big way - man, I ate that stuff up as a kid, and still listen to it constantly even now as I approach middle age. So it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the relatively recent intermingling between darkwave and gothic rock sounds with black metal is something I've been finding largely irresistible. One of the better newer bands working within this realm is the spectral Brooklyn-based outfit Vaura; The Missing is album number two from the band, the follow-up to their impressive 2012 debut Selenelion on Wierd Records. Featuring some notable names from the avant-metal / prog rock underground (Toby Driver of Kayo Dot and Maudlin Of The Well on bass/synth, guitarist Kevin Hufnagel of Dysrhythmia / Gorguts), Vaura have returned with more of their intoxicating tornadic gloom-rock, crafting an atmosphere of loss and isolation through their huge heartbreak-heavy hooks, uniquely blending their black metal and dark rock influences in a way that doesn't sound like some genre mash-up but rather something new, the post-punk elements and huge hooks steeped in biting guitars and tastefully applied blastbeats and other traces of blackened aggression. Indeed, Vaura blend together a number of sounds seamlessly on this album, blazing black metal, sensual spacey psychedelia, classic goth rock, all subsumed into Vaura's core sound and all fronted by the rich baritone croon of singer/guitarist Joshua Strawn (formerly of the fantastic gloom-rock band Blacklist), his voice eerily reminiscent of The Church's Steve Kilbey. His deep, heartfelt maudlin crooning is suitably monochrome, resonant but world-weary, spilling out visions of secret lust, visions of Eros and Thanatos that are inextricably intertwined on The Missing. And when the band kicks into something like the chorus of "Incomplete Burning" or "Pleasureblind", it really does sound as if you're hearing some amazing metallic version of The Church, or a mucho-poppier take on the apocalyptic pomp and bombast of late 80s Fields Of The Nephilim, the band's dark driving rock hooks giving way to massive melodic choruses, the album filled with these memorable hooks that soar off of songs like "Mare of the Snake"; on that track, the band drops some Dr. Avalanche style danceability in the midst of their gloomy rock, the background seared by blackened tremolo riffs. This confluence of blackened aggression and crepuscular rock is seamless, the black metallic malevolence feels more tangible here than with a band like Deafheaven; beneath the swirling gothic hooks and soaring choruses, there's sinister dissonance in the shimmering chords of songs like "The Things That We All Hide", unleashing even more aggression on the clanking angular noise rock of "Abeyance" which later gives way to a killer spaced-out motorik groove, and the chugging post-punk power of closer "Putting Flesh to Bone" stands out with it's propulsive drive. Amazing stuff that anyone into the more rocking, black metal-tinged, post-punk influenced sounds of bands like Beastmilk, Soror Dolorosa, Hateful Abandon, Pinkish Black and even high-caliber leather-clad throwbacks like Night Sins will want to check out...

�� The Missing comes in gorgeous gatefold packaging with a set of ten printed inserts featuring sexually provocative artwork and a printed inner sleeve.