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VECTIS
No Mercy For The Weak EP

Helldprod (2020)
Rating: 7/10

Vectis are not a band I was familiar with, but this debut EP has caught my attention and deserves a mention. Although the production is rather thin, in turn giving the music a rather tepid feel, this Portuguese black / thrash act has done a commendable job of throwing together five tracks (the first, ‘Invocation Spells’, being a short instrumental introduction) which are snappy, thorny and energetic.

‘Satanic Force’ is a blistering hellish composition fuelled by the rasping vocal sneers of Sadistik and that driving axe attack. It’s very much in that style of old Sodom and Destruction, with blazing Teutonic prowess simplified by its tendency to flirt with the solid yet unremarkable, yet still smokes, lashes and thrashes with venom and vigour.

Nods to drummer Hellkrätus for providing the heavy artillery and even more so on the brisk title track; a straight up fiery thrasher that does exactly what it says on the tin, although there is a nice melodic vein running through the black assault.

The band casts off hot sparks of fury when all in tandem, and the youthful exuberance and homage to the 80s black / thrash scene is apparent, so don’t be expecting a mind-boggling array of technicality because Vectis are just happy to arm themselves with spikes, beer cans n’ leather in order to spew their rusty filth over the altar of Satan. But image and basics aside, there are some decent flailing solos and I do like the spitting vocal attack.

‘Mark Of The Chainsaw’ lives up to its title; a wild, buzzing assault that pumps with primitive fury. The neighbours will most certainly be kept awake by this hammering speedball of sound, with Vectis refusing to let up as they delve back into the depths of Metallica’s Kill ’Em All (1983) married with Motörhead’s seminal Ace Of Spades (1980) for a metallic Molotov cocktail sure to keep the fire brigade busy.

Closing track ‘Evil Possession’ is equally filthy and punked up, and an all hands to the pump bone rattler. Musically, it’s like a speeded up, hastier Hellhammer-cum-Celtic Frost crossed with oily Sodom, and featuring a solo that flays the skin and shreds the sinews.

What else can really be said about such a hostile attack? Sure, it’s a one-dimensional ball of spikes that with unrelenting and naïve execution is littered with rough edges and rust. But for those nights when you just want to throw beer cans at the wall and scream to the moon, No Mercy For The Weak is ideal.

Neil Arnold

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