Band:	VLTIMAS
Album:	EPIC
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	March 2024

01. Volens Discordant
02. EPIC
03. Miserere
04. Exercitus Irae
05. Mephisto Manifesto
06. Scorcher
07. Invictus
08. Nature's Fangs
09. Spoils Of War

Can VLTIMAS's sophomore really prove to be EPIC?

In 2019, a death metal supergroup out of Portugal formed, going by the name VLTIMAS. Featuring a highly impressive line-up of vocalist David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel, Terrorizer), guitarist Rune 'Blasphemer' Eriksen (ex-Mayhem, Aura Noir), and drummer Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), this mighty talented trio set off to a blistering start when they unleashed their impressively heavy full-length debut Something Wicked Marches In. Now, they return to the scene 5 years later to unleash their sophomore, simply titled EPIC, only this time the band act as a foursome instead of a trio, following the graduation of live bassist Ype TVS (Dodecahedron) into their ranks as an official member.

To start with, EPIC isn't all that epic in terms of length; there's nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to its 9 tracks, which span a total of 37 minutes. However, it's what goes on within that duration that counts. With a line-up such as this, and a debut of such high quality, EPIC has the potential to be a modern death metal classic, with each musician bringing a slab of their own expertise and experience to the table, spanning blackened (Mayhem), technical (Cryptopsy) and old-school (Morbid Angel) metal. From Eriksen's semi-melodic blackened tremolos and neck breaking ferocious leads, to Mounier's frantically complex, yet stylistic drum beats, and from blistering bass work to Vincent's aggressive semi-harsh, impressively ranged vocals, the band showcase an impressive all-round performance. The songwriting is also very diverse, featuring a range of styles and influences; there are times when it can be groovy and memorable, and yet also dark, disturbing, and dissonant, but there's one thing this album never is, and that's dull.

The lyrical content is, of course, blasphemous, "Exercitus Irae" and "Invictus" being prime examples of this, but then with ex-members of Morbid Angel and Mayhem in the group, should this come as any surprise? Both the instrumentation and vocals also play a major role in giving this album a blasphemous and sinister edge; Vincent must have Atilla on his mind as a major influences here, as his blackened demonic gnarls and operatic howls are clearly reminiscent of his. As for the instrumentation, there's certainly a blackened approach here; the short but not-so-sweet "Scorcher" is a prime example, with ferocious tremolos from the start and throughout, rapid blast beats, and eccentric Attila-like blackened vocals, which spurt out blasphemous lyrics in demonic fashion; I would even go as far as saying this track wouldn't sound too out of character on a new Mayhem record.

There is also a catchy side to the album, one of the most memorable song being "Mephisto Manifesto". The groovy main riff is especially hooky, as are the delightfully melodic leads, and "Invictus" follows similarly. Although some parts of this track perhaps possess a more dissonant touch as opposed to melodic, there are still plenty of riffs and leads to enjoy a light headbang to, and those Mayhem influences continue to arise once more through the use of blackened tremolos, rapid percussion and an eerie haunting outro.

Now, I've spoken quite a lot about the blackened elements featured on this album, but let's not forget that VLTIMAS are still a death metal act at core. Without sticking to a particular formula that would put them into a specific category such as technical death, melodic death, blackened death or OSDM, they have instead opted to take their own route, and found a style and formula that suits them. This is something that they can only build on from here, and it gives VLTIMAS the potential of becoming a force to be reckoned with in extreme metal.