Vektor – Terminal Redux
Vektor have been the thrash undergrounds darlings for quite awhile now and with a five year gap between this and their last release “Outer Isolation” there was quite a bit of excitement on the lead up to this release. I wasn’t quite as spellbound as others by the bands last album but I do own a copy and enjoy it, “Terminal Redux” it has to be said, casual or hardcore fan can both agree is a complete game changer. The band have stepped up on all levels and not only delivered the album they always threatened to but delivered an album that in the future will be regarded a classic that transcends all genre’s (as all classic should).
For the uninitiated Vektor play thrash that’s technical and throw out epic scale song structures much in the vein of Watchtower and Voivod(hence the logo.) This time around we have an hour and 10 minute long concept album oh dear! Yet fear not, because they have actually pulled it off. “Terminal Redux” keeps your attention with its twists and turns and just when you think you know what’s going on they throw in some orchestration or some female vocals, tons of melody it’s all on here! One change that immediately apparent on this album is that the song length average has shifted much like with Iron Maiden, Vektor used to have a 10 minute long epic on the end of the album or darted here and there this time the short songs are few and the long tracks are the norm. 7-9 minutes is the average and the album closes with 'Recharging The Void' with is 13 minutes long and is just mental!
There’s just so much going on and the theme of the album suits the music wonderfully, you can imagine this space metal opera going on while listening to the album and it has moments where you can envision some war going on and you have some beautiful moments where you just picture the stars and space and eternity and all the rest of it.
As instantly enjoyable the album is it still is a slow burner and that contributes to the buzz surrounding the album. On the first listen so much passes by you, you want to play the record again just to keep track of what to look out for next time you listen to it. With that it also goes without saying more gets revealed with every listen. As much as I’m enjoying the album I’ve still not fully absorbed it and I just know I don’t like it now as much as I will a year or 10 years down the line. That’s what people are finding so exciting about this album. People are enjoying the repeated listens and the rewards that come with it. With hindsight on our sides we recognize future classic because we can measure them against 20, 30 even 40 year old albums and people are lapping this album up because they can this album being played in full in 20 years. I think I’ve justified a 5...
For the uninitiated Vektor play thrash that’s technical and throw out epic scale song structures much in the vein of Watchtower and Voivod(hence the logo.) This time around we have an hour and 10 minute long concept album oh dear! Yet fear not, because they have actually pulled it off. “Terminal Redux” keeps your attention with its twists and turns and just when you think you know what’s going on they throw in some orchestration or some female vocals, tons of melody it’s all on here! One change that immediately apparent on this album is that the song length average has shifted much like with Iron Maiden, Vektor used to have a 10 minute long epic on the end of the album or darted here and there this time the short songs are few and the long tracks are the norm. 7-9 minutes is the average and the album closes with 'Recharging The Void' with is 13 minutes long and is just mental!
There’s just so much going on and the theme of the album suits the music wonderfully, you can imagine this space metal opera going on while listening to the album and it has moments where you can envision some war going on and you have some beautiful moments where you just picture the stars and space and eternity and all the rest of it.
As instantly enjoyable the album is it still is a slow burner and that contributes to the buzz surrounding the album. On the first listen so much passes by you, you want to play the record again just to keep track of what to look out for next time you listen to it. With that it also goes without saying more gets revealed with every listen. As much as I’m enjoying the album I’ve still not fully absorbed it and I just know I don’t like it now as much as I will a year or 10 years down the line. That’s what people are finding so exciting about this album. People are enjoying the repeated listens and the rewards that come with it. With hindsight on our sides we recognize future classic because we can measure them against 20, 30 even 40 year old albums and people are lapping this album up because they can this album being played in full in 20 years. I think I’ve justified a 5...
- Charging The Void
- Cygnus Terminal
- LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)
- Mountains Above The Sun
- Ultimate Artificer
- Pteropticon
- Psychotropia
- Pillars Of Sand
- Collapse
- Recharging The Void
Label: http://www.earache.com
Reviewer: twansibon
Jun 19, 2016
Jun 19, 2016
Next review:
Neid – Atomoxetine
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