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VLTIMAS - Something Wicked Marches In review




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Band: VLTIMAS
Album: Something Wicked Marches In
Release date: March 2019


01. Something Wicked Marches In
02. Praevalidus
03. Total Destroy!
04. Monolilith
05. Truth And Consequence
06. Last Ones Alive Win Nothing
07. Everlasting
08. Diabolus Est Sanguis
09. Marching On

VLTIMAS is a death metal supergroup that consists of an extreme metal all-star team. Guitarist Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen (ex-Mayhem, Aura Noir), drummer Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy) and vocalist/bassist David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel) are familiar names to any metalhead, unless you've been living under a rock.

The most common problem with supergroups is that more often than not the sum is not as good as its parts. Luckily, this is not the case with Something Wicked Marches In simply because, apart from the fact that each musician gives an exceptional performance, VLTIMAS sound like a very tight band that has been together for years.

The album is a fast and relentless death metal punch in the face, with riffs that keep coming at you showing no sign of mercy. Rune's playing offers a blackened and sometimes dissonant edge in the riffing, and there is a balance between power chords and tremolo-picking. The drumming is so insanely good that all you can do is just sit back and admire what Flo Mounier does here. In all fairness, I'm in complete awe of the double-bass frenzy and the cymbal torturing that takes place in this album. David Vincent's vocals are high in the mix, but not in an annoying way; he sounds more aggressive and focused than he has been for a long time, and the use of chanting in a few songs add a somewhat ritualistic element to the already dark and sinister atmosphere. That said, I have had serious trouble finding the bass, so if you do please let me know.

The fact that VLTIMAS go for supercharged assaults makes the songs feel similar to each other and the album may seem that it flies by as if it was just one song. This is why the best moments are when they take the foot off the gas pedal and that's when they truly excel. The opening title track, "Monolilith" (a death metal love song with lyrics that go like "She is my only, my one and only, none hold a candle to my princess demoness"), "Last Ones Alive Win Nothing" (which is an absolutely stunning tune), and the closer "Marching On" go for a more mid-paced and slightly more melodic approach that both give the album room to breathe. They are also the longest tracks in duration and are very cleverly placed in the tracklist.

Something Wicked Marches In is more than the sum of its parts in the sense that you can't quite put your finger on which member's appearance is more prominent and influential. And even though you can detect traces of these members' past and present bands, VLTIMAS do have their own unique sound and it is both brutal and mystifying. So, how about we pretend that this debut is a Morbid Angel/Mayhem collaboration along with an unstoppable beast of a drummer since it almost sounds that good?

"This ancient nectar boils
from underground"





Written on 17.06.2019 by Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud!


Comments

Comments: 2   Visited by: 84 users
18.06.2019 - 01:07
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Yeah this was unexpectedly good
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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21.06.2019 - 01:34
Rating: 8
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
It's definitely strange hearing David Vincent do something this interesting nowadays. I haven't hit a lot of the competition yet, but I think this will be a strong contender for death metal AOTY come next MSAs.
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"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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