Virtue in Vain is launched.
With this new EP entitled Nothing Is All I Am, this third release allows Hywel Thomas (vocals), Mason Williams (guitars), and Daniel Bryant (drums) to mark the beginning of 2026.
Split opens hostilities gently with a rather motivating sample followed by a first salvo of fierce riffs at a good pace, over which the savagery of the screams is easily noticeable, very raw compared to the very modern mix. We move straight on to Blood Eyes, which picks up on these elements and continues to hit us with a touch of dry groove accompanying the vocalist’s eruptions of heavy sound, particularly on the break, then Between Reflections & Silence follows suit, skillfully adding a few noisy touches. I am initially surprised by the softness of these samples and the clean vocals with cybernetic effects, but they fit naturally into the song, which is followed by Echoes’ pure aggression, which places repetitive tones under stunning beats, making it both a thick song and, above all, a very unifying one. I can already imagine the crowd going wild if the band decides to include it in their setlists, but the waves of harmonics give way to The Wit & I, where piano and female backing vocals intervene to nuance the agitated flow, accompanying it to temper its ardor or breaking it up, as in the lull that ultimately allows for more ethereal touches to close the EP.
Between normalized modern brutality and more surprising touches, Virtues in Vain finds its place, making Nothing Is All I Am a short but straightforward EP. All the elements that make up the band’s personality are there, but we would have liked a little more so as not to be left wanting.
70/100
