Vltimas — Epic

After black / death metal supergroup Vltimas convened in 2019 and released their debut full-length, Something Wicked Marches In, the group went dormant for several years. David Vincent has been touring a group called I Am Morbid, covering Morbid Angel material from his time with that band. Rune Eriksen has been radio-silent, Flo Mounier has kept a relatively low profile, with Cryptopsy producing very little output save for last year's standout release, As Gomorrah Burns. It felt like there was a distinct possibility this project was a one-and-done affair.

Not so much; a reactivated Vltimas return with their sophomore effort, titled Epic. All 3 original members return, and the lineup is fleshed out with the addition of bassist Ype TVS. The album opens with an aptly titled instrumental, "Volens Discordant" — a strained and discordant series of guitar chords ringing out — before segueing into the title track.

Right away, the record feels more melodic and measured than the debut. The tempo and pacing of the first half of the album is a lot slower than I expected, given the band's line-up. David Vincent dips into a rather unique vocal style, somewhere between early heavy metal and first wave death / black metal — before Cookie Monster became the norm. Everyone's brought a little bit of nuance to the table, without eschewing their roots entirely; the drums still get punishing and ferocious, Rune Eriksen still has blazing-fast tremolo runs in addition to an expanded capacity for melody and solos.

Everything that made the group's debut record a success remains intact, but Vltimas didn't simply go back into the studio and record the same album over again. Epic experiments in pacing and composition, delivering a more distinct offering and some memorable bangers in "Mephisto Manifesto" and "Scorcher." Vltimas remains illustrative of each member's past work without being obvious or redundant.

I found Epic very enjoyable, and have listened to it well north of 20 times. My only complaint — if you can call it that — is that it doesn't inspire me to say much more than "I think this sounds good and you should listen to it." Very much like the members of Vltimas themselves, this record lets the music do the talking.

Summary

A solid follow-up to the band's debut, and a significantly different batch of material as well. Vltimas explore more melodic territory while still bringing the firepower when needed. A great modern release with elements of extreme metal's rich history.

Album Information

Release date: March 15th, 2024
Record label: Season of Mist

David Vincent — vocals
Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen
Ype Terwisscha van Scheltinga — bass
Flo Mounier — drums
Jamie Gomez Arellano — production, mixing, mastering
Jonathan Mazzeo — engineering

Track Listing

1. Volens Discordant
2. Epic
3. Miserere
4. Exercitu Irae
5. Mephisto Manifesto
6. Scorcher
7. Invictus
8. Nature's Fangs
9. Spoils of War

Link: vltimas.bandcamp.com

—by Derek

Published: June 26th, 2024.