By: Espi Kvlt
Epectase – “V.I.T.R.I.O.L.”
Progressive Black Metal from Paris, France
Released November 19 2021 by I, Voidhanger Records
After the spectacular record Epectase released on I, Voidhanger Records in 2019, the band has returned to bring us a brand new single that hopefully is a taste of something bigger soon to come. While their debut album, Astres, was mostly black metal with other elements added in, this new track takes on a life of its own, sounding completely different from anything the band has done prior.
The first half of the song is a mix of sexy post-punk vocals drip over trippy guitar grooves and drums that sound like they were pulled straight out of a Tool album (thank goodness, something that sounds similar to Tool but isn’t that I can listen to, instead). The second half of the song maintains all that goodness but gets heavier and layers some harsh, black metal vocals into the production, creating a beautiful fusion of black metal, progressive metal, and post-punk. If this is a taste of the direction this band is headed in, they are on track to be one of my new favorite bands.
I’m on a doom metal kick at the moment and this fits right in.