V:28 - SoulSaviour

circus_brimstone

Forest: Sold Out
Jul 5, 2003
5,154
13
38
41
Indiana
V:28 – SoulSaviour
Vendlus Records – Vend008 – June 20th, 2005
By Jason Jordan

cover_soul.jpg


Listening to SoulSaviour – with the subtitle …providing a bright future… – will only dampen your spirits in that hurts-in-a-good-way concept. So, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Although, this second entry in a saga of three is entirely capable of snatching acclaim from bigger acts, which puts V:28 in the power position. And why shouldn’t they be lauded for such an adept effort?

What began with NonAnthropogenic is overtly continued with SoulSaviour. Yes, billboard-depicting cover art has returned, and the rear of the tray hastens to point out that the opener, “The Brightest Light,” is track eleven of nineteen. Ultimately, the group have twenty-eight songs in their sights, which will be realized upon their next full-length. Having said that, it’s quite easy to pigeonhole V:28’s sound: black/death with heavy keyboard usage. Also, the record adopts a dark mindset from the very beginning, and likening them to Enslaved isn’t completely out of the question. Funnily enough, though, there are idiosyncrasies present on SoulSaviour that are just begging to be ogled such as the announcer on “The Brightest Light,” the programmed drums that riddle “Infected by Life,” and the Mortal Kombat soundtrack-esque moment within the same song. The groundbreaking riffage – that illuminates “The Purifying Flames” – is just fantastic, as are the masculine vocals, which walk hand in hand with the former. Moreover, the lead in “The Purifying Flames” is unmistakably Opethian in nature, and there are surprises essentially around every corner. The album tuckers out after roughly forty minutes.

Must you glare at me like that? Frankly, this is a superb recording that was superbly reviewed ( :tickled: ), so take that information and use it to your dejected heart’s content. Oh, and another thing: BEST. LINER. NOTES. EVER.

8.5/10

Official V:28 Website
Official Vendlus Records Website
 
Liked this a lot better than I thought I would. Actually more interesting and better than the latest Red Harvest, which it shares characteristics with...