Whereas described by vocalist Jake Bannon because the closest he has gotten to taking part in in a loss of life metallic band, Umbra Vitae has too many distinctive cooks within the kitchen to be described in these phrases alone. We’re speaking a few group the place Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord), and Sean Martin (Hatebreed, Twitching Tongues) write riffs for Jon Rice (who by some means has Uncle Acid and Job For A Cowboy in his resume).
After accounting for Bannon‘s lengthy historical past because the screamer in Converge, and another Red Chord member in bassist Greg Weeks, Umbra Vitae taking part in orthodox loss of life metallic was by no means an actual possibility. Such was removed from the case with 2020’s Shadow of Life, and now with Mild of Demise, the band has transcended the supergroup stereotype as they synergize their kinds for a considerate train in auditory violence.
With 15 tracks clocking in at 45 minutes, Umbra Vitae has chomped on the bit to construct out their sound — like “Depart of Absence” opening with what seems like hurdy gurdy drones and dissonant violin stings. However as soon as the blast beats and caterwaulings take full impact, the band’s explicit cross-section of loss of life metallic and hardcore materializes. Umbra Vitae‘s loss of life metallic is calculated and unrelenting, whereas its hardcore is bestial and chaotic.
Kurt Ballou‘s signature manufacturing permits each shades of extremity to flourish, with that excellent mix of brutal readability and uncooked depth. “Perception is Out of date” additional establishes this method with how primitive the mosh elements grow to be, in distinction to the technicality of the tremolo riffing. Bannon‘s vocals tread an analogous line, as he explores the spooky showmanship of maximum metallic, with out shedding sight of his Converge model. Many screamers would lean on gutturals for that double-kick-infested mosh half, however his irate howls give it a extra manic urgency.
The Entombed affect is difficult to not discover on a reduce like “Anti-Spirit Machine,” like Nails with much less grind and extra deathrash (particularly with the guitar solo and half-time breakdown). The brooding melodicism of “Velvet Black” brings a taste that is not solely new to Umbra Vitae, however actually all musicians concerned. Bannon bringing gothic baritone singing into the combo is definitely a welcome shock, however the best way the slow-burning melancholy launches right into a mid-tempo beatdown works means higher than it ought to. It reveals that these guys can ease off the throttle and reveal a extra nuanced aspect of their songwriting.
“Trigger and Impact” is the boldest instance of this lighter contact from Umbra Vitae, with rustic acoustic guitar strains immersing the vibe in melancholy serenity—till a literal leap scare falsetto shriek (or suggestions stab? No matter it’s, it is unsettling as hell), cuts by means of the combo to herald that ever-loving mid-tempo loss of life metallic stomp. From head-splitting chugs to protracted chord progressions, the band has grown of their respect for the ambiance and barbarism.
In different instances, like “Nature Vs Nurture,” the evocative underpinnings waste little time in dropping right into a metallic hardcore slug-fest. It is not too dissimilar from the myriad of hardcore bands Ballou has produced—till that decimating trem-and-blast assault and… wait, was {that a} disco beat? In different phrases, one doesn’t merely tumble from Anaal Nathrakh to At The Gates. There’s extra happening right here than brazen energy.
However nonetheless, it is not like Umbra Vitae is making an attempt too onerous to push previous the naked requirements of maximum music. Blitz-speed assaults like “Clear Cutter” and “Actuality in Retrograde,” have so much in frequent with the newer Full of Hell songs of their capacity to hit onerous and quick, however not dumb. The previous presents loads of agile riffing and a continuing enhance of momentum, whereas the latter brings a power-violence-ish habit to tempo adjustments. In both case, reinventing the wheel is not the aim. In these moments, the band focuses on distilling the essence of their chosen genres (with nice outcomes).
The album’s stream by no means loses momentum all through 15 tracks. A monitor like “Previous Tense” offers simply the appropriate dose of angular arpeggios and chilling chord adjustments to maintain listeners wanting extra, whereas the evocative guitar leads towards the tip. “Algorithm Of Concern” reveals restraint inside Umbra Vitae‘s sonic fray. It bears repeating that this music doesn’t bear the indulgent goofery typically related to “supergroups.” Nothing overstays its welcome, whether or not it’s unbridled aggression or sparse islands of introspection.
Maybe extra importantly, there are a variety of moments when Umbra Vitae simply seems like dudes having enjoyable, just like the exhilarating drum fills and thrashy galloping of “Twenty-Twenty Imaginative and prescient.” Extremity does not should be indignant or darkish, however a band like this could do each — such because the minor-key arpeggios present in “Empty Vessel.” It might be likened to black metallic, if it did not additionally reveal in four-on-the-flour beatdowns. Once more, discover a band that may do each! A bunch that may go grindcore with “Deep Finish,” however discover a solution to deliver issues again to heavy-ass riff-mongering and dancing leads on “Deadly Flaw.”
The place many bands on this sphere would attempt to get moodier on the final, “Mild of Demise” closes out Mild of Demise with among the most intense moments on the file. From a devastating mosh riff to an array of grooves, blasts, and groovy blasts, Umbra Vitae aptly represents that method to excessive metallic that is not afraid to play by feeling and emotion as an alternative of the trendy development of sterile gridlock. Umbra Vitae simply performs nice metallic. In no matter style they select, they do it remarkably properly.
