Empyreal Vault - Empyreal Vault

Bearing its roots in the 80's, deathcore was introduced to the extreme metal in the late 90's as a fusion genre of death metal, metalcore and hardcore/punk. The French band Empyreal Vault in their debut album take deathcore a bit further by adding technical elements and electronic/studio effects in their sound to create a horrifying and evocative atmosphere (listen for example to the interlude 'The Rain'). The nice work in the album's production highlights the brutality of the band's sound as well as their atmosphere while underlining their technical skills. In its round 32 minutes length, the same titled debut album of Empyreal Vault presents a very interesting mixture of blast beats, downtuned death metal riffs, guttural vocals and technical passages and creates a very heavy, brutal and atmospheric musical hybrid.

The 'Into The Forest' intro gets you from the neck right from the first second with its asphyxiating/gothic atmosphere.
'Deathbringer' electronics/overtones brought to mind Bring Me The Horizon and 'There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret'. However, Empyrean Vault are far more brutal and technical/progressive. They change moods in the same song countless times leaving you in awe.

In 'Nameless And Evil' Empyrean Vault show some Wormed (Spain) influences. There is a feeling in some of their riffs (like the riff that leads to the guitar solo at the end of the song) that brings to mind the legacy of the mighty Chuck Schuldiner and especially his after "Human" offerings. The same applies for 'The Ritual' opening riff. The beatdown is groovy, followed by a very nice guitar melodic line. Modern synth/studio sounds/effects used like in the end of this song are another positive addition for the album. Combined either with melodic guitar parts, heavy as hell riffs or technical leads they work really good.

I dig the electronics/sounds used in songs like 'Astral Wounds' intro. In the middle of the same song the melodic guitars over the samples prepare you the right way just before the storming sequence of riffs and vocals, reminding of bands like Beheaded ("Recounts Of Disembodiment"), breaks in. The hardcore breakdowns give it a twist that will groove you in their sickness. The lead is again influenced by the way Chuck Schuldiner used harmony and additionally has some very nice bass overtones. The lead guitar in 'Forgotten Titan' is excellent and carries something rock/bluesy in its performance. 'Obscurity And Silence' is the more melodic death metal song of the album in an almost heavier Arch Enemy way. The lead guitar effect in this one is rather obscure. The closing song 'I Am the Void' summarizes the whole release and is a perfect way to end this crushing tech/deathcore album.

Empyrean Vault's debut is a difficult album, but the band has great ideas and offers something differently enjoyable. They have a very interesting view on music harmony and having a strong basis in death metal and hardcore music (thus deathcore) they certainly don't fear to experiment and expand the borders of their music. Fans of technical deathcore must be sure to check this album out. I believe that also open minded death metal fans and fans who are into progressive/tech/death/thrash and bands like Meshuggah, Coroner or Cynic will also dig it.

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1. Into The Forest
2. Deathbringer
3. Nameless And Evil
4. The Ritual
5. Astra Wound
6. Forgotten Titan
7. The Rain
8. Obscurity And Silence
9. I Am The Void