Review Summary: When choosing their name, Australian death metal outfit Vespers Descent took into account sputnikmusic’s problems recognizing apostrophes.
I recently discovered that one of my favourite local death metal bands (Pathogen), possibly Perth’s most well known amongst its small metal community, is no more. Having been inactive for the past two years did lead to doubts over their future, but finding out for sure was very disappointing; their single full length,
Bloodline, is one of my favourite albums, and played a pivotal role in shaping my musical tastes. Nevertheless, with the demise of a local veteran, greater focus can be aimed on the upcoming talent this Australian city has to offer; Chaos Divine launched their debut
Avalon earlier this year, and Vespers Descent have dropped an EP to keep fans appeased until another album is released. And what an EP it is. Vespers Descent quickly became one of Perth’s staple death metal bands with the release of their debut
Visions in Verse, which was nothing short of a very solid death metal album.
Reality Dysfunction shows a natural progression from their debut, comfortably settling in the new lineup changes and being a prime example of how good a cohesive and energetic band can be.
It isn’t hard to pick out the various influences in Vespers Descent’s sound, but the band has without a doubt really crafted themselves their own little niche; while still keeping within the bounds of death metal, the band has not only smothered themselves in melody, but have done it in such a way that their music is genuinely enjoyable and accessible. Disregarding the fact that it’s an EP,
Reality Dysfunction does not have a single boring part. It might be due to the fact that there are only 4 proper Vespers Descent songs on here, but there is no repetition amongst the songs; they’re all obviously by the same band, but constant inventive riffing and the band’s adherence to giving their best leaves us with an inspired and solid performance. Moments such as the main riff of the title track, or the unrelenting end to ‘Cryptic Visions’, are simply amazing, and these are but the first to come to mind; every song is remarkably memorable.
Reality Dysfunction is, simply put, an extraordinary accomplishment in songwriting; both melodic and technical, the EP never loses its appeal. As a finishing touch, the band closes the EP with ‘Eclipse’, an acoustic and rather lively instrumental piece, which caps off the previous 20 minutes superbly.
Asides from the band’s own work, the EP pays homage to what is one of their biggest influences, At the Gates. The cover of ‘Blinded by Fear’ is surprisingly well made, and just as good as the original. Vocalist Richard Clements has a somewhat similar voice to Tomas Lindberg, and definitely does well with the cover, fitting in very well with the band’s own tint to the song. Clements, a new member of the band, proves himself worthy on
Reality Dysfunction; from varying levels of gutturals to high pitched screeches, Clements’ performance is to be commended, along with every other member of the band. Each of them works together wonderfully, and the result is
Reality Dysfunction: a showcase of a band that is coming into it’s own. This is definitely an EP to hear, and Vespers Descent are definitely a band to watch out for. Highly recommended.
