VESUVIAN “Devotion to Infinity”

Self Released, 2020

Music: Death Metal
Website: https://m.facebook.com/Vesuvianmetal/
Duration: 18:00 minutes (5 tracks)
Country: U.S.A

I still remember how I got introduced to Vesuvian. Browsing through the albums in BandCamp, I came across “Lahar” back in 2017(Thanks to their attractive album art).  Having no prior experience listening to them, I thought of giving it a shot anyway. To be honest, I’m glad that I came across them. Since then, I’ve been avidly following them. Their followup to their 2017 effort was the 2018 single release, “Catharsis Through Bloodshed”. Although the single was good, it couldn’t top “Lahar”, at least for me. This year, I got to know the band is gearing up for their second album, “Devotion to Infinity”. Coming from the other side of the world, I had the privilege to listen to this album early.

On my very first, listen, I found “Devotion to Infinity” an experimental effort. At the onset, it seemed as if the band has totally migrated from their “Lahar” sound. For a person who listened to “Lahar” on repeat at least once a day since its release, it was hard to digest. But, the more I listened to their new sound, the more I started liking it. The album(EP) consists of 5 tracks, starting from a cinematic intro, “Whispers of Sweet Sanity”, the transition to the title track is smooth. The title track, however, starts thrashy and quickly progresses into something that sounds symphonic-deathcore. The chorus is where the song shines. Having been listening to this band since their inception, it is safe to say that their vocalist, R.J Mitchell is on his best. Be it, the cleans, or the scream, Mitchell has given his best. Before the song ends, there’s a beautiful cinematic breakdown. If you’re breakdown fanatic, this one would fit right into your playlist. And towards the end of the song, there is a melodic solo. Hands down the best song on this EP!

The third track, “Horrid by Design”, starts with a Septic Flesh-Esque cinematic intro. The instrumentation takes the center stage here. Although the ghost notes and other drum parts on the second track were perfectly aligned with the vocals, in this track the double bass kicks stand out. Not to mention the guitar section, be it the riffs or the melodic chorus, the guitarist has done a great job making it as compelling as possible! The momentum is quickly carried forward to their fourth track, “Call of the Void”. I had listened to this track before the EP came out since it was released a single prior to the EP. The final track, “The Burden of Truth” ends the album well with their signature cinematic death metal-ish sound.

Vesuvian has really stepped up their game. “Lahar” introduced them to the world. “Devotion to Infinity” shows the world what they are capable of achieving. A bold move to switch from conventional death metal to a more cinematic sound, Vesuvian has undoubtedly excelled in this switch. To be honest, I really don’t care what genre they play. If they keep experimenting and release stuff like this, I’ll surely spend my money on them!

Alas, does this album top “Lahar”?  Well, there is no point in comparing. Both of them are very different. Production-wise, “Devotion to Infinity” is cleaner. Sonically, “Lahar” was a more straightforward death metal/deathcore, whereas, “Devotion to Infinity” is more cinematic/symphonic. To sum up, “Devotion to Infinity” is a great way to ante up their sound. I would really like to see how they would take off from here. A must-listen!!

Tracklist:

1. Whispers of sweet sanity
2. Devotion to Infinity
3. Horrid by Design
4. Call of the void
5. The burden of truth

Line-up:

RJ Mitchell – Vocals
Patrick Bradford – Guitar
Taylor Stone – Guitar
Adrian Tarasov – Drums

Rate: 9.0/10