The birthdate of death metal is one of the most debated topics among metalheads worldwide. Some say the genre came to be on May 25, 1987 when Death released Scream Bloody Gore. Others say it was born nearly two years earlier on October 16, 1985 when Possessed released Seven Churches (which famously features the song that coined the genre’s name, “Death Metal”). And some will go as far to say Slayer invented death metal with the April 2, 1985 release of their sophomore album, Hell Awaits! Now granted, I’ve never heard anyone under 50 give this last argument. Whether you consider this era, which occurred roughly between 1985 and 1987, death metal, death/thrash, or just plain thrash metal, for the sake of simplicity, let’s call it “death metal B.C.”.
Tapping into this “death metal B.C.” vein is Sweden’s Vampire. Though not even a decade old, Vampire has established themselves as professional purveyors of death metal past. Each release is progressively heavier and hard hitting than the last. Their latest full length, Rex, is their most profound work yet. The ominous guitar intro that is “Prelusion” gives way to the title track and we’re off. “Rex” is a clinic in high speed, high caliber death/thrash. Between the riffing and production, I’m getting serious Pleasure to Kill vibes. The same can be said for “Wiru-Akka” and “Rekviem”. These thrashers are so lethal, Rex should come with a Tipper Gore inspired potential neck snapping warning sticker.
Countering these violent blasts of speed are menacing mid tempo tracks which show off the guitar duo of Black String and Sepulchral Condor. They can deliver rapid fire riffs, but also lay down some intricate, well thought out leads akin to Denner and Shermann. Look no further than “Serafim”, and especially the closing “Melek-Taus”. Songs like these so elegantly balance the scale of brutality vs. melody.
While musically Rex falls into the “death metal B.C.” category, it possesses a black metal tinge which grows from subtle to overt through the course of the album. There’s seldom any blastbeats or tremolo picking throughout, but the riffs are constructed in such a way that they evoke a sinister atmosphere synonymous with black metal’s second wave. Acoustic guitars and keyboards are peppered throughout to fully flesh out the sound. It’s the same approach that launched Dissection into extreme metal infamy some 25 years ago. All of these elements collide on my favorite song, “Anima”. This over six minute crusher could be the soundtrack to a death march. Bone crunching riffs fuse with delicate melodies to create an all around nightmare inducing listening experience.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a current band as organic as Vampire and a current album as organic as Rex. While they certainly tip their hats to the days of yore, Vampire manages to avoid being pigeonholed as just another “clone” or “worship” band, with a collection of songs that’s bound to make every true metalhead’s top albums of 2020 list. May these Swedish metal masters strive for eternity.
9 out of 10
Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Kreator, Dissection, Possessed