Reign Of Terror is Vesicarum’s debut EP, a short and violent listen consisting 5 tracks in just under 20 minutes. This is the first outing of this UK-based Death Metal band, and as a first outing, they kill it.
With a unique vocal styling, that initially alienated me as it’s not quite the growls or gutturals I expected from this projects’ EP cover, it grew on me by the third track of my initial listen and clearly puts the lyrical content at the forefront. The instrumentals were in full force, everything you would expect from a modern death metal project and more.
A solid commitment to dizzyingly heavy riffs, with the addition of some brutally precise pit riffs making their way onto these tracks. The drumming and bass have a raw and chunky quality, driving the rhythm of tracks 1 through to 4.
On to the themes and lyrical content:
“The EP tells a story of a serial killer from his beginnings through to stages of murder and torture”, states vocalist and mastermind Glynn Neve. “The first four songs on the EP are about the killer and his development – however, the last track Undivine End, switches to the victim’s point of view – it was written to give the listener the impression of a victim tied up in the killer’s torture chamber awaiting his demise.”
This concept was not quite executed masterfully, the run time of the EP is short and with the final track Undivine End, being an ambient closer not employing any experimental or overtly musical elements feels like empty space. On an LP this may act as a palate cleanser though at the end of this tracklist it feels like I’m leaving Reign Of Terror at its only low point. This is unfortunate as it felt like the tracks were only getting better as the EP progressed with my standout track being Early Warning Signs Of A Serial Killer. Overall, this is a great first outing for Vesicarum, they have shown they can pull together a good set of tracks and I look forward to a more fleshed out and cohesive project.
Release Year: 2020
Label: One Eyed Toad Records
Category: EP
Country: UK
Reviewed by Jhai Bartley
