Every once and a while I take a listen to a new band I’ve never heard anything from. I receive, literally, hundreds of new metal releases each month from across the globe and the vast majority of them are rather pedestrian. With that in mind, having never been introduced to Vital Spirit before, I had mediocre-at-best expectations. Happily, those expectations were inappropriately too low. Vital Spirit’s In the Faith that Looks Through Death EP is a clear winner that contains four excellent cuts.
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, more specifically, British Columbia, the band features Kyle Tavares on vocals, guitar and bass along with Israel Langlais on drums. It’s definitely back metal but with a unique American feel. Tremolo is definitely there, but the guitars are a bit more layered and a bit more nuanced than you might find in the genre.
As a huge fan of Norwegian black metal act, Taake, I couldn’t help but notice the influence on the second track, “Centaur.” Certainly original in its own right, there is an unabashed nod to Taake’s songwriting and instrumentation. It’s a dark cut but with a – dare I say – beautiful guitar lead track about midway through the song. It works so well.
Speaking of Taake, the third track “Trace the Sun” also reminds me of classic Norwegian black metal, albeit more expertly recorded. A heavy track with lots of distortion, this song shows just how good Vital Spirit are at playing their instruments. It’s raw, but refined. Aggressive but not too much.
You can check out the entire EP Stream here. Got in on this band now for added street cred before they get big.
You can find Vital Spirit on Bandcamp now. Unfortunately the limited cassette is already sold out.
