It has been almost six years since the debut full length album ‘’ The Knightlore’’ back in 2019, of the Italian band under the moniker VULTURES VENGEANCE, which made quite a remarkable impression through the underground scene.
The band had presented 2 EPs prior to that debut and this discography so far, their music and style of playing, made them to be widely considered as an epic metal band, that was heavily influenced by the sound of WARLORD, BROCAS HELM, CIRITH UNGOL, early era MANOWAR or the LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG. That was true, up to a specific certain extent and not predominantly or extensively.
Tony T. Steele, guitarist and vocalist, sheds light on the issue and clarifies a few things regarding that:
“I absolutely love all these bands that you mentioned and I can say that they are a heavy influence in my life, but I would call VULTURES VENGEANCE simply a heavy metal band. I think that the word ‘epic’ only refers to bands who create an ‘ancient’ atmosphere in their music and imagery.”
Their sophomore album ‘’Dust Age’’ was recorded back in October 2020, after a year from the release of their debut album, with a line-up that has changed since then. Tony T. Steele elaborates on why it took so long, for the sophomore album to be presented:
“We recorded ‘’Dust Age’’ in October 2020 but in the meantime Covid had arrived and we had to cancel many shows around Europe. So, we decided to wait because we wanted to play live after the release, and we had many problems with the line-up because Tony L.A. (Scelzi: guitar) and Matt Savage (bass) decided to quit the band. The research for a new bass player and a new guitarist extended the time for the release of the new album even further.
The album was recorded with the old line-up, except for the drummer, Damian (Damian ‘’Rage’’ Baldasso: drums). We recorded it at the 16 Cellar Studio in Rome and after that we worked with Marco S. Vermiglio of The Forge studio in Sweden for the mix.”
The sophomore album is now ready to be released and we have the opportunity to take a closer look in advance, presenting you with our first impressions.
First and foremost, the heavy ‘’arsenal’’ of the album has two major ‘’weapons’’. That are the dynamic, soaring voice Tony T. Steele on one hand and the other is the wonderfully crafted intricate guitar work.
Let’s take a closer look regarding the vocals. I would say that they have a very hooking timbre with an extraordinary extension, that ranges from graceful melodic and dramatic passages to prevailing or triumphing shrieks. That remind me somehow the aggressive voice of Hansi Kürsch in the very early era of BLIND GUARDIAN (first couple of albums) and also another Italian vocalist, Vanni Ceni the singer of WOTAN, who has a kind of similar reverberation and expression in his voice.
As far as the guitar work and the songwriting are concerned, the album is amazingly rich of riffs, speed and galloping patterns that progress or change in such marvelous and frenzy way that brought me in mind another album that was released recently and it was one of my favorite albums for 2024 and that was the album of DEMON BITCH ‘’Master of the Games’’.
The beautiful cover artwork was created by Lena Richter.
Regarding other technicalities of the album and having gone through the band’s back catalogue the previous days, I would say that this is their most mature and diverse album so far, with the best sound and production they had up to now.
Songs such as ‘’City of The Thousand Blades’’, ‘’Those Who Sold The World’’ and ‘’Dust Age’’ stand out among the rest as absolute highlights, reflecting the prowess of the band. Lyrically-wise the themes are not limited only in an epic / fantasy range of topics but are dealing with other subjects as well, in an allegorical way. Tony T. Steele explains:
“The lyrical themes are different for each song, and they are all allegories of a vision of the modern world told through imaginary tales of war, slavery, corruption and power. If you share these visions, it wouldn’t be too difficult for you to interpret the lyrics.”
To sum up, the sophomore album of VULTURES VENGEANCE has a very unique atmosphere and special musicianship in the realm of heavy metal, that makes it a necessity to get all the attention and appreciation that it really deserves.
‘’Dust Age’’ will be released on the 21st of February 2025 by High Roller Records and will be available on LP, CD, MC and Digital format.
_____________________________________________________________________
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
