Review Summary: Believe it or not, it's vital.
Vitalism are a progressive metal band from Rio that recently released their third EP,
Anima. The band usually releases short EPs, and this one is no exception. The group is led by Ed Garcia, an exceptional guitar player who delivers some of the most mind-blowing guitar riffs you'll ever hear. Vitalism are known for their technical prowess, which is undoubtedly one of the main draws of the group. "Anima" features Veil of Maya-esque djent riffing at a frenetic level. The songs are constantly changing, making it a challenging listen. However, once you get used to all the mayhem involved, like the blitzing speeds on the fretboard or the earth-shattering drum fills, you will realize that a lot of thought has been put into the song structure of the tracks.
"Tribus" is the opener of the EP and does an excellent job of introducing the listener to the band's sound. It has a multitude of repeating motifs and lots of fun grooves to nod your head to. The track also offers a fair bit of breathing room, with a bass section that allows for a lot of space. "Kekule" is another track that provides moments of reprieve, but tracks like "Eutera" and "Trinity" are outright silly at times in their barrage of riffs. These tracks bring the technicality to insane levels, while still being catchy and even danceable. "Trinity" in particular has a very fun, infectious quality to its rhythms and melodicism.
Guitar solos are a big part of the EP, and while guitar solos have mostly died out in modern metal, Vitalism says they won't let that stop them from having guitar solos laced throughout the EP. "Pagan 3" has an absolutely spectacular solo, probably the best on the EP without a doubt. Reminding me of the excellent phrasing of Polyphia's Muse album, Ed carefully chooses when to play fast and when to slow things down. He's such a phenomenal lead player.
There's also the flamenco side to the group which is seen sprinkled throughout the EP but is mostly featured on the outro segment of "Kekule". Once again, it has a real fun energy to it and provides excellent contrast to all the madness. There's also an extensive bass solo on this back half that's a real pleasant surprise.
Overall, I've been waiting for 7 years for "Anima" to release, and I am not disappointed in the slightest. Throughout the gap from the prior EP to here, there was friction between the band and even almost disbanding at one point if I recall, but glad that seems to be all ironed out. The band delivered a marvelous effort, packed with some of the most fun metal I've heard all year without a doubt. The band doesn't even need to put out a full-length LP. In fact, it would probably be detrimental. 27 minutes is the perfect amount of time to display their marvelous craft. More would probably be overdoing it.
