Review of Vesania - God The Lux

I’ve got to say I’ve missed the hell out of this style of black metal. The last effort of Vesania, 2003's release Firefrost Arcanum, was an engaging exercise in furious, symphonic black metal that while not the most notable of releases, easily managed to peak my interest in the band. With the notable progression in style all glossed over with a towering production, God the Lux manages to be one of the more prodigious symphonic black metal releases I’ve listened to in a long while.

The presence of high profile members and Polish heavyweights Orion (Behemoth) and Daray (Vader) only helped to peak my interest in this band. Their involvement seems to be the explanation for the impressive professionalism and clout found on this release; I’ve seen bands on their fifth or sixth release that will never come close to a product this focused in style. Vesania lays their bombastic, grandiose take on symphonic black metal over a foundation of relentlessly precise and crushing Polish death metal. This combination creates a very subtle distinction that sets them apart from their peers. I’ve heard countless comparisons to Puritanical Euphoric Minsanthropia era Dimmu Borgir, but even though I can see the similarities, I assure you God the Lux is more than just a mere pompous imitation of Dimmu Borgir. The closest similarity Vesania shares with Dimmu Borgir would be Orion’s varied vocal delivery of snarls and visceral growls. Also, Vesania manages to attract a lot of comparisons to the almighty Emperor. Except for the occasional glimpse of Emperor style black metal in the guitar work, I really don’t see anything that warrants the extreme comparisons since the compositions and overall style are distinctly different as far as I'm concerned.

As previously mentioned, the most noteworthy difference in Vesania from other artists is the way they deliver their symphonic black metal. The key in the overall sound of God the Lux is the musicians' impressive ability to create an approach to symphonic black metal that while remains true to its foundation, manages to fluctuate enough to create a varied delivery of intensity. Vesania expertly makes use of standard furious speed picking while simultaneously utilizing a more mid paced, percussive approach more akin to their slight Polish death metal leanings. Daray manages to both barrage the kit with machine gun blasts, and also slow the pace down to create a more dramatic approach when needed. Though I love the relentless approach of a band like Dark Funeral, I must admit there’s something refreshing about a drummer who knows when to play fast. The bombastic keyboards add a poignantly ethereal ambiance ala Limbonic Art that cannot be denied as anything short of amazing.

There’s not a whole lot to complain about on this release, but the more I listen to God the Lux the more I notice the presence of many riffs scattered here and there that really should have just been cut in the writing process. When everything comes together for Vesania there’s very few of their peers that could compete with them, but there’s too many uninspired moments littered throughout the album that cause me to lose interest in the middle of some tracks. Albeit the occasional shortcoming in the writing department, God the Lux is an engaging foray into intelligently dark and layered black metal that while not a landmark release, is quite worth the time to get acquainted with.

Release Details

Vesania

God The Lux

Comments

Related