Have you listened to The Secrets of The Dark Arts? What I've heard off of it have been very good, Emperor Magus Caligula's vox are great on there and his best vocal performance by Dark Funeral.
Vital Remains - Icons of Evil
- Thread starter Stormwatch
- Start date
Well, that was one of that record's big improvements over Scars of the Crucifix. Benton's over-singing was toned down, which definitely was one of my gripes with Dechrisitianize as well, aside from many of the songs dragging on for too long. In any case, for all the praise the last VR received, it still hasn't really grabbed me at all. I'll still check out this one though.
I'm not digging this one as much as DECHRISTIANIZE (which at first sounded like THESE CHRISTIAN EYES 
) but then again i've only given it one or two serious listens, the guitar work is amazing still...
) but then again i've only given it one or two serious listens, the guitar work is amazing still...
Matt
Active Member
Matt
Active Member
IronPriest
Member
I liked Dechristianized, wasn't album of the year but I liked many things about it. Vocals, Guitar riffs and how they added a classical guitar on the Song DeChristianized pretty original if you ask me, and the drums are bad ass too!
I haven't heard their latest album I look forward to it.
I haven't heard their latest album I look forward to it.
Astrum
Psion
I never said there was anything wrong with his vocals per se. The problem I have with the album is that Benton sings TOO MUCH on it - the music seems to have little space to breathe without Benton roaring over the top of it. All I'm asking for is more instrumental passages.
I have no problem with Benton as a frontman or a vocalist, I fucking love Deicide and Benton is one of metal's last true characters.
So, your stupid Freudian analysis is all wrong, twat.
Your beard is awesome. Wish I could grow one as sparse as that. Vital Remains probably wish they weren't a joke, like they probably wish they had your 14 year old's beard.
Carcassian
Utopian Blaster
I stand alone as the voice of (drunken) reason. This is a truly great album, and personally I LIKE the marriage of death metal and true metal inspired soloing.
It's very much a companion piece to The Stench of Redemption, but so fucking what? I don't mind there being more albums that sound good, rather than "original" albums that I wouldn't want to give a second listen.
Oh, and Stormwatch - welcome back mate \ m /
It's very much a companion piece to The Stench of Redemption, but so fucking what? I don't mind there being more albums that sound good, rather than "original" albums that I wouldn't want to give a second listen.
Oh, and Stormwatch - welcome back mate \ m /
Jean-Pierre
Son of The Bitch
Carcassian
Utopian Blaster
Ok, so what do you call a rabidly anti-Christian death metal band, whose latest platter includes a healthy dollop of classic metal riffing and soloing, has had an excellent production job and features Glenn Benton as the lead singer? Ok, so chances are if you hadn't seen the title of the review you would probably have put “Deicide” as your answer. Vital Remains latest (burnt) offering is an affront to all that is decent and upstanding about our modern Christian society. Excellent.
Their last opus, “Dechristianize” was much lauded in the death metal world, and rightly so. It seems that the unholy trio have decided (should that be dei-cided?) to outdo themselves
this time with a right corker of an album. This is barbarous, rabid death metal of the most egregiously unpleasant kind. As if having Mr. Benton wasn't enough of a cast iron pedigree, the band have only gone and recruited chisel-cheeked barking stalwart one Mr Erik Rutan to produce. In every sense, Vital Remains have set themselves up to succeed. That they have, because this is to my ears the best “major label” death metal album of the year so far.
From the gory album cover, through to the blasting, ravishing strains of first track proper “Icons of Evil”, this has intent to completely destroy Christianity branded through it. Inhumanly fast drumming and light-speed riffing give way to mildly eastern sounding guitar soloing, the song then segueing into an almost traditional metal mid section reminiscent of a better produced early Testament track. This is an album of light and shade, complex song arrangements favour the juxtaposition of heads down blunt-instrument death metal, married to the sinister and sublime slower sections. Guitar fans are in for a complete treat, as Dave Suzuki produces stunning solo after stunning solo, while the rhythm work of Tony Lazaro is bound to have you all dusting off the old air guitars and throwing up the horns in satisfaction. Between the two of them, they handle all musical duties (via studio magic, I reckon – although they might be like the proverbial one-man bands of yore), with Benton concentrating on vocals, which are as ever as uncompromisingly gruff and brutal as you are likely to hear. Suzuki produces rasping back up vocals akin to those heard on the last couple of Deicide albums.
The production is excellent, as you would expect, with plenty of mid-range clout and a particularly biting guitar sound. The percussion is brought out well, particularly with the pounding rhythm of tracks like “Hammer Down the Nails”. The shortest track on here is the cover version (Yngwie Malmsteem anyone!), and even that weighs in at almost five minutes in length. Generally, the epic neck-destroying work outs are at about the seven minute size, which is ample opportunity for the fantastic song writing to shine.
I really can't say enough good things about this album. It's as perfect a marriage of the more brutal end of the spectrum with the rich vein of history of traditional metal as you are ever likely to find. Blasphemy has never been so cultured.
Their last opus, “Dechristianize” was much lauded in the death metal world, and rightly so. It seems that the unholy trio have decided (should that be dei-cided?) to outdo themselves
this time with a right corker of an album. This is barbarous, rabid death metal of the most egregiously unpleasant kind. As if having Mr. Benton wasn't enough of a cast iron pedigree, the band have only gone and recruited chisel-cheeked barking stalwart one Mr Erik Rutan to produce. In every sense, Vital Remains have set themselves up to succeed. That they have, because this is to my ears the best “major label” death metal album of the year so far.
From the gory album cover, through to the blasting, ravishing strains of first track proper “Icons of Evil”, this has intent to completely destroy Christianity branded through it. Inhumanly fast drumming and light-speed riffing give way to mildly eastern sounding guitar soloing, the song then segueing into an almost traditional metal mid section reminiscent of a better produced early Testament track. This is an album of light and shade, complex song arrangements favour the juxtaposition of heads down blunt-instrument death metal, married to the sinister and sublime slower sections. Guitar fans are in for a complete treat, as Dave Suzuki produces stunning solo after stunning solo, while the rhythm work of Tony Lazaro is bound to have you all dusting off the old air guitars and throwing up the horns in satisfaction. Between the two of them, they handle all musical duties (via studio magic, I reckon – although they might be like the proverbial one-man bands of yore), with Benton concentrating on vocals, which are as ever as uncompromisingly gruff and brutal as you are likely to hear. Suzuki produces rasping back up vocals akin to those heard on the last couple of Deicide albums.
The production is excellent, as you would expect, with plenty of mid-range clout and a particularly biting guitar sound. The percussion is brought out well, particularly with the pounding rhythm of tracks like “Hammer Down the Nails”. The shortest track on here is the cover version (Yngwie Malmsteem anyone!), and even that weighs in at almost five minutes in length. Generally, the epic neck-destroying work outs are at about the seven minute size, which is ample opportunity for the fantastic song writing to shine.
I really can't say enough good things about this album. It's as perfect a marriage of the more brutal end of the spectrum with the rich vein of history of traditional metal as you are ever likely to find. Blasphemy has never been so cultured.
Under The Oak
Ens Causa Sui
I can't stand when people act like blasphemous metal albums are going to change the world and help destroy religion. Icons Of Evil is cliche in every sense of the word.
Carcassian
Utopian Blaster
Carcassian fucking rules. I'm still not sold on this album though, Stench is much better. 
Still, it's miles better than the new WASP album, that's just shit.
Still, it's miles better than the new WASP album, that's just shit.
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