Artist: Vital Remains
Label: Osmose Productions
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Title: Dawn of the Apocalypse Artist: Vital Remains Label: Osmose Productions |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
O.K. I admit it, I've been waiting for this one for awhile. Ever since my friend fiercely recommended their last release, Forever Underground, and I thanked him and threw it on the pile of new cds I had to listen to. When I finally got to it I felt like kicking myself for the time I let go by without this killer group in my listening rotation. After many "I told you so's" from my friend, I got the chance to see them live at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, and at that point I went from being excited about the band to being a huge fan. This album hasn't even come close to disappointing me. It seems a little speedier than their last effort, which is fine by me, and they haven't eased on their Satanic themes as far as I can tell. "And the music?" you ask. Brutal. Makes me want to scratch my arms until they bleed and my fingernails bend back. Sure it would hurt, but in a strange way, you know it injects a pleasurable chill up your spine. The music is sick death, influenced by, if not exactly implementing, black. This album actually sound like it is influenced by both sides of the Atlantic, and to the uninformed ear, one might have trouble placing these guys. While the overall effect is faster than their last effort, they have not forgotten the time changes that made their last release so compelling. These guys also aren't afraid to experiment on this album either. "Society des Luciferiens" closes out the disc with an evil, atmospheric vibe. Strange, and in contrast to the rest of the disc which is so heavy. The vocals range from an American flavored death growl, to a black screech that would make Dani Filth proud. My favorite track so far, "Behold the Throne of Chaos," proves that death metal hasn't forgotten the allure of the riff, and another favorite, "Sanctity in Blasphemous Ruin" shows how brutal they can be. But picking out favorite tracks is pointless in an album as thorough as this one. Just buy it, if you can't find it, order it. There really isn't much else to say.
"Makes me want to scratch my arms until they bleed and my fingernails bend back. Sure it would hurt, but in a strange way, you know it injects a pleasurable chill up your spine."
Death's Review:
While they've been around for pretty much the entire decade, I was turned on to Vital Remains only this past year. Two days after the inaugural March Metal Meltdown, I was not yet satiated and needed a new metal fix. With Hypocrisy playing the seldom used New York venue, the Bank, my Monday night plans were set.I got there a little early, to drink a beer or two and catch up with my newly-minted metal friends. Unwittingly, I cast my attention toward the opening act. Suddenly, I was engulfed by an unholy presence and the mad riffing, epic drumming and fantastic imagery that is Vital Remains crushed my soul into the darkest of eternities. Unable to resist its power, I purchased the band's two-year-plus old "latest" release -- Forever Underground to take home with me as a parting gift to soothe the pain.
While the somewhat shoddily-produced three piece (with bassist Joe Lewis handling the vocal chores) captured on that record could not duplicate the awesome force I witnessed that fateful night at the Bank, it was enough to sustain my interest and hype up a few friends for the VR gig at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival a month or two later. Once again, Vital Remains killed. And thus, began the countdown to this month, when I finally got to sit down and listen to a record by the band I saw live and, curiously, could not seem to forget, though dozens of others from that 'fest went unnoticed. It was almost as if this music was somehow in service of some kind of higher power . . ..
"Suddenly, I was engulfed by an unholy presence and the mad riffing, epic drumming and fantastic imagery that is Vital Remains crushed my soul." Dawn of the Apocalypse delivers on the promise of both the Vital Remains legacy and the band's recent live performances. The album finds the band taking a more modernized approach, adding a new depth, flowing from often disparate sources -- a touch of say, Cradle of Filth-type screaming, Dimebag Darrell artifical guitar harmonics, Celtic Frost-style dirging and more than a little Morbid Angel (maybe that's a Trey influence in the guitar work?) infiltrating into and evolving from the band's otherwise straightforward death metal delivery. The new vocalist, besides being an incredible live showman and the perfect frontman for this band, delivers with a range of often layered vocal stylings which give the record a headphone-worthy depth and authoritative subtext. This shit is EVIL, kiddies, evil yet hauntingly addictive. Satan knew just the right ingredients to toss into this little spell, and the vocals are the flavor at the heart of the brew. Once you've been infected, there's no chance in hell you're not coming back for another taste. And often.
The guitar work on Dawn is outstanding. Picking up where Forever Underground left off with numerous fabulously executed classical guitar passages, yet expanding into unholy dive-bomb soloing ("Flag of Victory") and sometimes SERIOUSLY SLOW and downtuned Morbid Frost riffing (the end of "Societe des Luciferiens"), the work is beyond technically proficient -- it displays a sheer mastery of the death metal guitar realm. The drums are inspired, providing interesting beats for even the most generic fast riffs and giving VITAL REMAINS a groove most of their peers simply do not have (Dying Fetus is a notable exception).
"Vital Remains has served its master well. He is pleased." Musicianship and complexities aside, Dawn also serves up its share of enough straightforward metal riffing and old-fashioned "mosh parts" to keep heads banging from start to finish. "Sanctity in Blasphemous Ruin," and "Behold the Throne of Chaos" are virtually anthemic, the latter delivering a hypnotically mesmerizing head-bobbing central passage. And the short but atmospheric "The Night has a Thousand Eyes" adds a dimension that many fans of more experimental keyboard-based death acts will appreciate.
Nevertheless it's the album's closing moment which may ultimately be its most effective. When I find myself walking around town growling "So-ci-et-ay des Luc-i-fuuuurrrr-iens!" under my breath, with visions of legions of Satanic warriors roaming the earth running through my head, and all the while fighting to control myself from spontaeously pumping my fist to the imaginary beat in public, I smile to myself with the realization that Vital Remains has served its master well. He is pleased.
Hel's Review:
The latest effort from Vital Remains, Dawn of the Apocalypse is solid. I find it amusing that when they released their prior effort, Forever Underground, no one knew who the hell they were, but by the time this release came to be, it had become one of the most highly anticipated underground albums of the year. Is their newfound popularity a sign of the apocalypse? If so, the band definitely deserves some kind of award for most aptly named albums. To beat this concept until it's dead, might I point out (again) when they released the last album, they were the most underground of bands, and they probably thought that would last forever. Dead now, right?
The first time I ever noticed this band, they were opening for Hyprocisy in NYC the night after the March Metal Meltdown ended in New Jersey. I, and a few friends, had enjoyed Hyprocisy so much and felt so gypped by the shitty sound in NJ, we decided to check them out again in a better setting. Vital Remains was the opener and they blew us away. The moral of the story: see them live if you can.
"Is Vital Remains' newfound popularity a sign of the apocalypse?" But if you can't, listening to their new album is a worthwhile substitute. Dawn of the Apocalypse is engineered in a way that if you put it on a good stereo, turn it up, and close your eyes, it's not too hard to pretend like they're right there in the room.
The guitar riffing of "Sanctity in Blasphemous Ruin" was stuck in my head for at least a day after I first heard it and the nice little instrumental "Came No Ray of Light" that immediately follows, illustrates what an accomplished guitar player they have. By the time you get to "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," you should be hooked. The musicianship is all strong throughout, plus each and every song is solid. This is an album worth checking out.
Rating Revised for Metal Judgment Anniversary
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