Review Summary: The one-trick pony fell down and got a booboo.
VCTMS has one mission: loud = good music. Add one angry drummer to the dimension of this 3D noise tunnel of death, and you also have leftover deathcore and nu-metal riffs. Keep in mind that such things together smack your ears with hammers like Santa’s elves tired of his ***. You will get tired of this ***.
The true winners are the vocalists who rage with the anger of a kid that had their dad throw their XBOX at a wall. Such visceral noise and anger is quite metal. There are moments that will have you hanging on the edge of a cliff as the growlers yell at you until you fall off. There are no parachutes, only death by smashing your face into the rocks. Whether that’s good or bad depends on your pain tolerance.
The album tracks but gets its angst confused. Out of nowhere they go completely chill with the track Stranger. It’s strangely placed in the album (see what I did there?), but it’s okay, because there’s quite a few chill moments in the album. These moments make the band appear like a different band, and they are often surprisingly forgettable. Either go chill or don’t, but these guys want to be both at the same time. Such songs are like Born of Osiris’ more mainstream singles but a lot less cohesive, and catchy. They are snoozers, and don’t fit the album’s vibe which otherwise is intent on murdering puppies.
Yin and Yang: that’s cool. This album: is okay. The riffs shred skin off, and the vocals stab. Don’t expect the most memorable album but do expect to lose your hearing and find cool riffs along the way. You may be too stunned to be aware of what’s going on though, as generally generic riffs continue to destroy your very senses. It is a good day to be metal, but some finesse is in order, I dare say. Much like bowling with anger works and knocks down pins, but only if you actually aim at the pins.
