Despite the name of their latest album, Dealin’ Death, Vulture does not deal in death. They do however deal in thrash, speed, and occasional elements of traditional metal and prog. If that description doesn’t have you licking your chops in ardent curiosity, you should probably retreat to the nearest false metal blog; take your pick. These Teutonic thrashers have unleashed an all you can eat buffet of heavy metal madness, which quite frankly has more in common with the Metal Blade releases of 35 years ago than today. That said, it’s refreshing to know that all these years later, head honcho Brian Slagel still keeps his ear to the ground when it comes to new talent.
While the prevailing brand of thrash has been an aggressive form of crossover lying somewhere between Arise era Sepultura and Hell Awaits era Slayer (see Power Trip, Enforced, High Command, etc.), Vulture’s sound blurs the line between thrash and speed. It’s too aggressive to be labeled speed, but too melodic to be labeled thrash. Both elements balance each other out rather equally on this release. The real dilemma of this review is going to be choosing one terminology or the other, because there’s no way I can leave the “genre” field blank.
Dealin’ Death opens with the high speed assault of “Malicious Souls”. Its utilization of machine gun riffs and frenzied vocals capable of breaking the sound barrier are reminiscent of yet another genre defying band, 80s underground legends, Agent Steel. Were they thrash? Were they speed? Were they turbo charged power metal? Who knows? This review is about Vulture. Perhaps I’ll address Agent Steel in an upcoming From My Collection entry. “Count Your Blessings” stays in thrash territory, although boasting muscular gallop riffs as opposed to the blistering blitz of “Malicious Souls”.
“Gorgon” is where things take a turn for the unexpected. Here we have an ambitious traditional metal song with vast atmosphere and shadows of prog. At times it comes off as Mercyful Fate-ish. Most metal bands like to include the obligatory 70s Judas Priest/Mercyful Fate style track to show off their songwriting and musical abilities. As Dealin’ Death continues, we find out that Vulture aren’t just showing off to be fancy. They want us to know that these traditional undertones are just as pivotal to their sound as thrash and speed metal. In fact, the mid paced mosh of “Star-Crossed City” features a stunning Iron Maiden style twin guitar solo.
The vicious attack of “Flee the Phantom” kicks us into high gear, while “Below the Mausoleum” is proof positive that not all thrash has to be breakneck. The latter comes off as the bastard spawn of Venom and Exodus. “Dealin’ Death” brings down the axe in all its mosh friendly glory and “Multitudes of Terror” almost had me fooled with its proggy intro. In reality, it’s more or less a cousin of “Flee the Phantom” and “Malicious Souls”. Closing it all out is “The Court of Caligula”. Ever wondered what Mercyful Fate would sound like with Paul Baloff on vocals? Neither have I, but if “The Court of Caligula” is any indication, such a collaboration would’ve been pretty sweet.
I’ve come across some pretty respectable thrash metal albums this year, but I haven’t come across a thrash metal album I’ve loved this much in years. There’s no posing to be found here. Vulture are possessed by the primal savagery of thrash in its infancy. Their musical chops are such a force to be reckoned with; if they wanted to, they could form a traditional/prog metal band on the side, but they won’t. They’ll continue to subtly incorporate elements of such without losing their way. At least I hope so. Dealin’ Death is far too perfect to be followed by a free form jazz odyssey.
10 out of 10
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Exodus, Razor, Agent Steel