RSS Feed


VAMPIRE
Vampire

Century Media (2014)
Rating: 7.5/10

This debut album from Swedish death metallers Vampire is already in the running for being one of my favourite albums of 2014. Century Media have uncovered a real gem of a band here. Vampire hail from Gothenburg and have been shunning the light of man since 2011, but now they’ve braved the day-time with the release of this ten-track album which has old school death metal influences running through its icy veins.

This quartet is led by a chap who calls himself Hand Of Doom, with sticksman duties being overseen by Ratwing. The gloomy guitar sound is courtesy of Black String and the deathly bass the work of Command.

First things first; Vampire are an unhealthy sepulchre mix of Death and Sodom if you ask me, and the other great thing about this putrid debut is that it’s not the usual bout of Swedish death metal featuring the archetype buzzing riffs and Entombed-styled dynamics.

This composition has an eerie feel to it, mainly the result of those dry, mist-enshrouded vocals. Musically it’s pretty dank stuff from the mouldy guitars to the damp drums, but above all, it’s still as catchy as hell in all its ghoulish glory. Although the Swedish influence is hinted at, there’s more of a tighter Autopsy feel at times too, enabling the band to spout their miserable tales of horror. Although not crushing in its weight, Vampire relies on a tidy mixture of traditional metal structures played alongside the more ghastly elements of thrash and death metal, particularly on the superb ‘Howl From The Coffin’ with its melodic, infectious riffage and graveyard yelps and growls.

A couple of tracks featured on this self-titled platter have been wrenched from the impressive demo tape the band issued in 2012, most notably ‘At Midnight I’ll Possess Your Corpse’ which stinks of foggy atmosphere as the ghostly voice speaks of a clock striking midnight, the chime of the churchyard bell and the dead emerging from the musty tombs. Lyrically it’s quite simple yet effective, while ‘Under The Grudge’ (also taken from the demo, but improved) is a death / thrash affair with some interesting drums, which effortlessly shift between a higher tempo and then mid-tempo. The track is apparently inspired by the Asian horror film The Grudge (2002), and does its best to transfer the imagery from film to music.

Each track on this impressive debut has something to offer, with the short but sinister ‘Jaws Of The Unknown’ and the galloping strains of ‘The Fen’ being my favourite two tracks, both having a German thrash feel combined with the grisly atmosphere of Autopsy and at times old Entombed. Again, like so many bands of this ilk at the moment, there’s nothing original on offer, but when the sound and atmosphere is right it enables such usually mediocre arrangements to actual come across as entertaining rather than mundane.

Vampire, despite all of their deathly quality, has a strong traditional flavour about them. As the bass judders along like a ghost train in the fog, the guitars have a creeping quality alongside the vocal gargles and rasps. There are times when the mighty Celtic Frost spring to mind, such is the funereal air, and I’m sure that for what Vampire lack in inventiveness they more than make up for with that foul stench of accessibility and macabre charm.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share