Whereas described by vocalist Jake Bannon because the closest he has gotten to enjoying in a demise steel band, Umbra Vitae has too many distinctive cooks within the kitchen to be described in these phrases alone. We’re speaking a few group the place Mike McKenzie (The Pink Chord), and Sean Martin (Hatebreed, Twitching Tongues) write riffs for Jon Rice (who in some way has Uncle Acid and Job For A Cowboy in his resume).
After accounting for Bannon‘s lengthy historical past because the screamer in Converge, and yet one more Pink Chord member in bassist Greg Weeks, Umbra Vitae enjoying orthodox demise steel was by no means an actual choice. Such was removed from the case with 2020’s Shadow of Life, and now with Gentle of Loss of life, the band has transcended the supergroup stereotype as they synergize their kinds for a considerate train in auditory violence.
With 15 tracks clocking in at 45 minutes, Umbra Vitae has chomped on the bit to construct out their sound — like “Go away of Absence” opening with what appears like hurdy gurdy drones and dissonant violin stings. However as soon as the blast beats and caterwaulings take full impact, the band’s explicit cross-section of demise steel and hardcore materializes. Umbra Vitae‘s demise steel is calculated and unrelenting, whereas its hardcore is bestial and chaotic.
Kurt Ballou‘s signature manufacturing permits each shades of extremity to flourish, with that excellent mix of brutal readability and uncooked depth. “Perception is Out of date” additional establishes this method with how primitive the mosh elements develop into, in distinction to the technicality of the tremolo riffing. Bannon‘s vocals tread an identical line, as he explores the spooky showmanship of maximum steel, with out shedding sight of his Converge fashion. Many screamers would lean on gutturals for that double-kick-infested mosh half, however his irate howls give it a extra manic urgency.
The Entombed affect is tough to not discover on a reduce like “Anti-Spirit Machine,” like Nails with much less grind and extra deathrash (particularly with the guitar solo and half-time breakdown). The brooding melodicism of “Velvet Black” brings a taste that is not solely new to Umbra Vitae, however actually all musicians concerned. Bannon bringing gothic baritone singing into the combo is actually a welcome shock, however the way in which the slow-burning melancholy launches right into a mid-tempo beatdown works means higher than it ought to. It exhibits that these guys can ease off the throttle and reveal a extra nuanced aspect of their songwriting.
“Trigger and Impact” is the boldest instance of this lighter contact from Umbra Vitae, with rustic acoustic guitar strains immersing the vibe in melancholy serenity—till a literal bounce scare falsetto shriek (or suggestions stab? No matter it’s, it is unsettling as hell), cuts by way of the combo to herald that ever-loving mid-tempo demise steel stomp. From head-splitting chugs to protracted chord progressions, the band has grown of their respect for the environment and barbarism.
In different instances, like “Nature Vs Nurture,” the evocative underpinnings waste little time in dropping right into a metallic hardcore slug-fest. It is not too dissimilar from the myriad of hardcore bands Ballou has produced—till that decimating trem-and-blast assault and… wait, was {that a} disco beat? In different phrases, one doesn’t merely tumble from Anaal Nathrakh to At The Gates. There’s extra happening right here than brazen energy.
However nonetheless, it isn’t like Umbra Vitae is attempting too exhausting to push previous the naked requirements of maximum music. Blitz-speed assaults like “Clear Cutter” and “Actuality in Retrograde,” have lots in widespread with the newer Stuffed with Hell songs of their means to hit exhausting and quick, however not dumb. The previous presents loads of agile riffing and a relentless improve of momentum, whereas the latter brings a power-violence-ish dependancy to tempo modifications. In both case, reinventing the wheel is not the objective. In these moments, the band focuses on distilling the essence of their chosen genres (with nice outcomes).
The album’s movement by no means loses momentum all through 15 tracks. A observe like “Previous Tense” offers simply the correct dose of angular arpeggios and chilling chord modifications to maintain listeners wanting extra, whereas the evocative guitar leads towards the tip. “Algorithm Of Worry” exhibits restraint inside Umbra Vitae‘s sonic fray. It bears repeating that this music doesn’t bear the indulgent goofery usually related to “supergroups.” Nothing overstays its welcome, whether or not it’s unbridled aggression or sparse islands of introspection.
Maybe extra importantly, there are a variety of moments when Umbra Vitae simply appears like dudes having enjoyable, just like the exhilarating drum fills and thrashy galloping of “Twenty-Twenty Imaginative and prescient.” Extremity does not need to be indignant or darkish, however a band like this could do each — such because the minor-key arpeggios present in “Empty Vessel.” It might be likened to black steel, if it did not additionally disclose in four-on-the-flour beatdowns. Once more, discover a band that may do each! A bunch that may go grindcore with “Deep Finish,” however discover a strategy to deliver issues again to heavy-ass riff-mongering and dancing leads on “Deadly Flaw.”
The place many bands on this sphere would attempt to get moodier on the final, “Gentle of Loss of life” closes out Gentle of Loss of life with among the most intense moments on the file. From a devastating mosh riff to an array of grooves, blasts, and groovy blasts, Umbra Vitae aptly represents that method to excessive steel that is not afraid to play by feeling and emotion as an alternative of the trendy development of sterile gridlock. Umbra Vitae simply performs nice steel. In no matter style they select, they do it remarkably properly.
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