Band:	Vulgaris
Album:	Seat Of The Fire
Style:	Black metal, Sludge metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	May 2024

01. Lyomenos
02. Black Gold Baptism
03. Swarm
04. Pyrphoros
05. Asphyxiation
06. Prometheus Rise
07. Pyrkaeus
08. Siege
09. Seat Of The Fire

Producer: So, what style of metal do you guys play? Black, death, sludge, thrash, heavy, post-?
Vulgaris: Yes.

Although multiple Metal Storm reviewers praised the band's debut, Asundre, we all agreed that it came with certain limitations. Vulgaris now present Seat Of The Fire, an album three years in the making, and they declare that it “represents a significant musical advancement”. It comes with an aptly dark theme; Prometheus turns into an Antichrist-like figure set to take revenge from humankind for the devastatingly wrong use of his gift, the fire. Let's hope they don't get sued by Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis, who, as we all know, has exclusive dibs on the word ‘fire’ and everything fire-related in extreme metal.

Following the short intro, “Lyomenos”, Vulgaris kick the album off with a slow-burning, post-metallic track, titled “Black Gold Baptism”. The song has an engaging build-up that leads to an explosive blackened frenzy that is both aggressive and technical. The cherry on the top is a speed-rocking solo blazing over some d-beat drumming, before things almost come to a halt with a doom/sludge breakdown, finishing off the melting of the listener's face. Vulgaris showcase many of their strengths on “Black Gold Baptism”; their fondness of post-metal, the black metal onslaught, the sludgy demolition, and, most importantly, the ability to mix various sounds and genres in a seamless and fascinating way. Equally adventurous and progressive in their scope are the songs “Prometheus Rise”, with its attention-catching middle ‘super-solo-over-inventive-drums’ part, and the title track, which has a djenty opening, goes on to mix death doom with groovy meloblack, and then, just like “Black Gold Baptism”, it goes into d-beat mode and ends in sludgy doom.

I don't want to give too much away and ruin the experience, but I cannot fail to mention that one thing that is truly satisfying is the great sense of groove that Vulgaris can have, which is particularly pleasing on the thrashy riffs of the singles “Swarm” and “Siege”. That said, one of my favourite songs on here has no groove whatsoever; “Asphyxiation” is a suffocating blend of claustrophobic doom and vicious black metal instead, while its prelude, “Pyrphoros”, does an amazing job to instil an anxiety-provoking atmosphere for what is to come.

Speaking of preludes, “Pyrkaeus” is also fantastic in how it sets up “Siege”; the knock on the door had me almost shit my pants when I first heard it wearing my headphones, it has a genius false ending, and it cleverly leads to the aforementioned opening riff of “Siege”, which is the best soundtrack for you to smash things to obliteration, particularly when the breakdown comes.

Performance-wise, the shrieks of Matt Cooper and the growls of Jonathan Michael reveal more layers and various facets to the music, while Jess O’Toole’s lead guitar adds a melodic component, either through tasty licks or in the form of classic heavy metal solos, on an -otherwise- very dark album. The bass is meaty and audible in the mix, and the drums are constantly driving the songs, because they are not just staying in the pocket, but they also explore other routes and territories. My main gripe with the debut was the production, and especially the sound of the drums; here, everything sounds distinctively better, including the drums, but I would still prefer a Kurt Ballou-like treatment, because the way George Mitchell plays really deserves it.

As much as I enjoyed the band’s debut, Seat Of The Fire is playing in a different league. Vulgaris continue to demonstrate that they can throw in everything but the kitchen sink and still make it work, but they have also sat down and crafted some admirably fleshed out tracks. The band has such a vast array of influences and at the same time such an individual sound, that it's highly recommended for every extreme metal fan.

If you like acts like (recent) Wake, Necrophobic, Sylosis, Gojira, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber, and Inter Arma, make sure you get a seat close to the Seat Of The Fire.

“Rise, Prometheus, bringer of fire
To reclaim the gift we defiled”