Band:	Vecordious
Album:	Reminiscence
Style:	Black metal, Death metal
Release date:	2010

01. Lunar Serenade
02. The Ravenous Ones
03. Paramnesia
04. Anthropmancy

Vecordious is the black metal sister-project to Metherra, by virtue of shared bassist/vocalist duties courtesy of Marin Lahlum. As a result of his contributions, Reminiscence sees the alternate vocal techniques used to enhance the subsonic cookie monster vox in my last review, World Of Discord and moves them to the fore with this outfit. Additionally, Lahlum throws in some almost dramatic spoken/chanted narrative approach to some passages that almost harken a little bit to Garm in Arcturus' La Masquerade Infernale.

The vocals do get the forefront here and provide the band with the bulk of it's identity.

Musically, I hear a little modern-day Enslaved at times, as in the opening riff of the first track, "Lunar Serenade". At other times tremolo riffing with ever-thumping drums continue along... "The Ravenous Ones" comes and goes with only some more odd vocal work towards the end of the song providing the sole real point of interest to the piece. "Paramnesia" primarily blasts along with a good pace that provides the demo with a shot in the arm. Amusingly, Vecordious lacks a drummer at present and opted to used programmed drums for this release... and I think I preferred the overall sound to that of the sister-project.

"Anthropomancy" closes the four song demo with some creepy vocals over some eery, slow and open riffs accompanied by some female shrieks and screams in the background before clicking back over to the more straightforward, orthodox, and predictable style riffing, with only another oddball vocal passage towards the end. Kind of a shame, as I liked the initial direction of the track.

Ultimately, as I mentioned above, the vocals provided the band with the bulk of it's identity. When they went a bit outside the box stylistically it helps give them a bit of a different approach. Unfortunately, most of the music, well while executed, was kinda more of the same of what we've heard before.

For black metal bands starting out now, there appear to be two paths to take.

Follow the orthodox, standard, "safe" approach of someone that has come before you. It might lack originality or uniqueness, but perhaps there are plenty of BM fans scared of change that might gobble up your releases.

Or just say "fuck it", eschew the well trodden path, and just go bolting off into the woods. Do something different and unique - either you'll get critical acclaim or you'll go over like a lead balloon. As Jack Blackmetal once proclaimed in a movie of his, "So let's just give this everything we got. We may fall on our faces, but if we do, we will fall with dignity! With a guitar in our hands, and metal in our hearts!"

Reminiscence is at the point where they can opt for one path or the other. Given their use of varying vocal approaches and a willingness to be a little out there, they show a bit of a proclivity towards the unique. Hopefully they'll embrace this and escape the trappings of SSDD black metal.