Vulture Industries is still crazy.
Founded in 1998 in Norway as Dead Rose Garden, the band adopted its current name in 2003 with the release of its first demo, creating a style somewhere between Progressive and AvantGarde Metal. In 2023, Bjørnar Nilsen (vocals/programming, Black Hole Generator), Eivind Huse (guitar, ex-Sulphur), Øyvind Madsen (guitar, Sulphur, ex-Enslaved live), Kyrre Teigen (bass) and Tor Helge Gjengedal (drums, ex-Sulphur) announce the release of Ghosts from the Past, their fifth album, on Karisma Records.
The band sometimes plays live with Kevin Storm (guitar, Fleetburner, Heretoir, ex-Heidevolk…).
New Lords Of Light, the first track, begins with a relatively cheerful rhythm, and includes surprising elements such as keyboards and accordion, which create heady tones. The band also plays on a marked contrast between the quiet parts and the catchier moments, while Saturn Devouring His Young develops a jerky rhythm and a rather worrying atmosphere. Vocals are also darker and more brooding, while still perfectly fitting the regular riffs from which a few lead parts emerge before a more soothing final. This Hell is Mine lifts the veil on some pretty demonstrative vocal parts, while the haunting rhythm carries us away with its fairly simple sounds, then Deeper follows, adding a touch of melancholy supported by some strange backing vocals. Main vocals also offer a few more surprising tones, but these skillfully combine with the rhythmic madness, finally leading us to Right Here in the Dark and its sometimes joyful, sometimes much quieter, even confidential sounds. The track also features heady refrains, before Not by Blood, But by Words presents us with its heavy rhythm, complemented by intense, melodious leads that let the vocalist run wild as he explores his abilities. Tyrants Weep Alone, the final track, takes a slow approach to this unique universe, which the band decorates in its own way, before accelerating the rhythm into a catchy dance, sometimes strengthened by an eerie trumpet or keyboard, before letting the sound fade away.
Vulture Industries does not like everyone else. Long-awaited Ghosts from the Past confirms the band’s unusual and surprising approach, with an album that can be described as either pure madness or a masterpiece, but which will certainly not leave anyone indifferent!
80/100