...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI


..::OPIS::..

Prior to We Shall Overcome, I did know of Lord Vigo, but I hadn’t listened to them. Things I’ve learned: their name comes from Ghostbusters; they quite like concept albums; they play epic metal, rather than specifically the epic doom that I thought. Danse de Noir, out in 2020, began a trilogy, which reaches its middle stages with this fifth full-length, and once again you don’t have to be a sci-fi buff to get the most out of the German band’s recording, but it will give you a home field advantage nonetheless. That said, I feel more than prepared for such a 52 minute listen as this with my experience in bold heavy metal, doom metal vistas, and storytelling hooks.

Kudos to Lord Vigo for delivering a set of songs that have wormed their way into my head before writing a review, since I don’t often hum the vocal hooks to an album after just a brief time getting to know it. In particular, 'The Heart of Eternal Night', 'Natural Habitat', 'A Necessary Evil', and the title track have all been on rotation in my head a few times, while other songs among 8 vocal-led tunes are in danger of doing so too. This in part speaks of the sway that the vocals hold during the listen, Vinz Clortho having quite a range of tricks to switch between, moving from pleading emphasis on 'A New Dark Age' to oddball melodic harmonies on 'A Necessary Evil' that both make use of his uneasy tremolo. Indeed, Lord Vigo’s vocalist does not soar or pummel like many heavy and doom singers, more imbue songs with distinct character in varied manner, as evident from an unusually strong Billy Idol inflection in 'From Our Ashes We Will Rise', tying that cut in with early ‘80s gothic rock in the process.

Musically too, Lord Vigo straddle several lanes of the heavy metal highway. The gothic rock stance just mentioned extends to the rattling bass and regular tempos of the same song, even some of the melodies, while elsewhere doomy moods face off with a few speedier classic metal tempos, as of Angel Witch. However, as with much epic metal, pace (of either extreme) seems not the main point, as instead song dynamics offer the greater pay-off from tempo shifts, chorus sections, exploratory instrumentals, and a bit of necessary stillness from time to time. What makes this refreshing in comparison to other epic heavy or doom outfits like Argus, DoomSword, or Eternal Champion is quite simply difference: Lord Vigo separate themselves almost totally from power metal influence, have no relation to battles of sword and steel, then add in plenty to set them apart musically too, with a massive bass tone, those uncertain vocals, and several synth parts to give We Shall Overcome those Blade Runner vibes that the concept requires. None of the aforementioned bands would contemplate opening with an intro like 'Blessed Are the Meek'; besides, the upbeat pound and wail of the still-doomy 'The Heart of Eternal Night' that follows ensures that all comparisons quickly become obsolete.

All the same, seamless albums should be less conspicuous in their progress, and We Shall Overcome cannot be classified as one of those. 11 tracks ensure plenty of up and down, and a few times these guys nearly throw me out of the loop. '1986 (Book 1: the Vision)' clearly serves a purpose in the narrative, yet with references to the Challenger space disaster and other newsworthy items of the time comes too close to reality to maintain the dreamy atmosphere, while the first half of the album feels appreciably stronger than the second, at least until 'A Necessary Evil' rolls round. For me, a vast difference exists between the domineering heavy metal tracks and the more reflective numbers too, which is why I notice 'A Necessary Evil' so strongly after 'A Gathering of Clouds' rolls by overhead more or less unnoticed, due to the latter featuring more even delivery and a smattering of sampled quotes that capture attention when isolated but not when set to wishy-washy backing. The ups and downs indeed prove noticeable, yet I feel that Lord Vigo do comparatively poorly at the subtle game.

In all, much more to praise than scorn appears during We Shall Overcome. In the first place, the palpable drama of the release impresses itself time and time again, while the livelier moments burst the bubble of expectation and bring me to a new land where epic metal joyously has more than one plausible theme and similarly multifarious ways to express itself. Nevertheless, I must return to what I said near the beginning and reiterate just how strongly certain parts of this release have stuck with me. I have no qualms to declare that the pair of 'The Heart of Eternal Night' and 'A Necessary Evil' jointly constitute the most exciting epic/trad brace I’ve heard this year, the former taking all the surprising routes to success, including a Candlemass twist to the chorus, and the latter simply beating the old masters at what they do best. That’s what I’m going to remember We Shall Overcome for, and that’s why it’s a mandatory recommendation for all curious fans of full-blooded metal.

gasmask colostomy



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Blessed Are The Meek 01:01
2. The Heart Of Eternal Night 06:54
3. Natural Habitat 04:36
4. Since The Sun Was Young 05:32
5. From Our Ashes We Will Rise 05:10
6. A Journey To Eternity 01:47
7. We Shall Overcome 07:53
8. A Gathering Of Clouds 04:46
9. A Necessary Evil 05:07
10. 1986 Book 1 - The Vision 01:36
11. A New Dark Age 07:11



..::OBSADA::..

Vinz Clortho - Vocals, Drums, Keyboards
Tony Scoleri - Guitars, Bass
Volguus Zildrohar - Guitars, Bass




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiJzhxjCSu8



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