Review Summary: I'd say Providence is staring an evolution of sound right in the face and this EP, Vangaurd was just the foetus of a beast in the making.
Providence employs a combination sense-numbing bass-lines, aggressive-brutal-yet-versatile drumming, simple-yet-grovvey guitar riffs and fluid, machine-like screams along with lyrical themes which I interpreted as the unification of human consience with a dormant machine(?), inner conflicts and questionable moral struggles to deliver their first EP, Vangaurd.
Each track has it's individual duration ranging from 3-5 minutes and offers more than you'd imagine.
Sunneith Revankar recorded vocals for the EP and though his depature will affect the band's sound, Karan Pote's talent had no trouble fitting in, judging by their performance in the Metal Battle for Wacken Open Air.
The EP, Vangaurd, in itself presents a wide range for shades of darkness and though each song maitains it's individual vibe, the continuity of the album and the general atmosphere retains a common, thematic feel.
Tracklist:-
1. Talk *** Get Hit.(3/5)
This track opens with a very familiar, groovy riff before turning into a heavy pounding for the senses.
Time signatures on the music are not the conventional 4/4 but the song is very well structured.
The solo at 1:40 minute mark is short and leaves a fleeting impression on the mind. You'd initially be aware of the fact that the solo ends before it has fully registered with you but I wouldn't go to the lengths of calling it a "drawback", just simplicity and at any rate a longer solo would've probably run the risk of sounding cheesy.
After the solo is my favourite part of the song, muting and the methodical riffing that follows before the conclusive-opening riff that ends the song.
2. Watch Them Fall.(4.5/5)
This track is my personal favourite. To describe it in a few words- you're squeezed in the fist of a screaming monster.
It's relentless and the brutality of the song mounts to "overpowering" before the tension is released only to build up again.
Everything about this track feels like pieces of a jigsaw that fit together to define a masterpiece.
The solo is a face-melting sort of shredding and the line "Paint the face with the ink of the fist" lingers on even after the song ends.
The track builds up to an ominous riff before returning to the initial brutality in the final moments.
3. Glass Eyed Dawn.(5/5)
One of the best instrumental tracks I've ever heard so far!
The mellow mood set by the synthesizer and the tasteful beats is the stuff of brilliance.
This track is the personification of the band's creativity and though it is far from the band's actual sound, it doesn't feel out-of-place at all.
I pictured a white-sand beach on a sunny day for most of the track and then it transitioned into an empowering form with faster guitars that aren't even remotely close to "dark".
For me this track induces warm nostalgia and leaves me wanting more.
4. Source Code.(4/5)
This, in my opinion would be the heavyiest track on the album. The drumming is complex and varied and though nothing in this track before the solo is exactly "memorable", I found the calculated composition overwhelming and the track delivers on all levels of heavyness.
The double-bass drumming and the opening of the guitar solo are exceptionally remarkable, whereas the actual guitar riffs are very headbangable and very pleasing to my metalhead's ears.
Unlike other tracks on the album, this song is closer to death metal than the groove-thrash-borderline-djent experimental sound of the band.
5. Prosthetic.(4/5)
This track had me at the 0:15 minute mark where the guitars join in to the opening basslines and the intricate drumming.
Everything after that is only an improvement.
Two things that are incorporated in almost all the tracks on this album and yet most noticeable on this one-
1. Pinch Harmonics
2. Backing Vocals
I've personally known guitarist Charan Singh Pathania's love for pinch harmonics from his past obsession with Lamb of God's Laid to Rest so their inclusion in this album didn't surprise me. Admirably, they're not overdone at all and feel just right for the music.
Secondly, the backing vocals on this track(more than the rest) are uncanny in their resemblance to Meshuggah's backing vocals.
Something I was quick to notice.
Finally, the breakdowns are epic. The first break down changes the feel of the track completely and the second one is suffocatingly heavy which adds a sludge-like quality to the track before announcing the end of the album.
To conclude my first review(this one) I'd say Providence is staring an evolution of sound right in the face and this EP, Vangaurd was just the foetus of a beast in the making.
