Into Cold Darkness

The shadow of Morbid Angel loomed so large over the post 1989 world of death metal, that it’s shade seemed almost endemic. And while an inspiration from Florida’s lords of all fevers and plagues was not unwelcome, the slavish devotion that some bands engaged in was not a sign of respect, but only a lack of individual invention of their own. Vital Remains escaped not by being immune to the influence, but by bringing their own carefully crafted slant to it. And my use of the word craft is deliberate, because I know of few other death metal bands who write with the obvious sense of quality control and compositional care that Vital Remains always have.

Right from the opening cut (“Immortal Crusade”) of this, their second album, that signature attention to creating dramatic satanic metal is abundant. Speed is used, but only as an accent to the musical maelstrom, not as it’s center. And although it would be wrong to call the band’s music melodic, the structures of these songs flow so well, that they achieve lasting impact without overt melody. Singer Jeff Gruslin repeats the fine job he did on the band’s 1992 debut Let Us Pray, providing a fine balance between clarity and the sainted roars this music is both worshipped and hated for containing. Seven chapters of the band’s own songs appear here, as does an appropriately gruff but entirely reverent cover of Celtic Frost’s classic “Dethroned Emperor.” This, as with all of the work from this band, proves that death metal’s blasphemies, when applied in the context of considered writing are an impressive heretical experience.

And for those who question the truth of the genre’s musical value, Vital Remains (along with Morbid Angel, Immolation and Incantation) are a fine place to begin dispelling any such notion. “Triumph through darkness, thy kingdom is ours.” Man, they are not kidding.