Anberlin
Vega


2.0
poor

Review

by bananatossing USER (16 Reviews)
August 2nd, 2024 | 17 replies


Release Date: 08/02/2024 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Cheap shot

Anberlin’s new album Vega is nothing short of a disappointment. Before I get into the why I guess I need to address the fact that I do enjoy these songs. Actually, I’ve heard most of these songs countless of times before release (that is 83.33% of the album) and the reason why is because this “brand new album” is actually just Silverline, released in 2022, and Convinced, released in 2023, slapped together with two new songs featuring Anberlin’s new touring singer Matty Mullins.

Circa Survive pulled something similar with 2022’s Two Dreams. The band released two EP’s in the course of 2021 and 2022, each sold in different vinyl variants, only to be sold yet again in the form of a compilation including both EP’s. This trend is obviously meant to be a quick cash grab, but even with that mind at the very least the aforementioned release was marketed as a compilation and not an actual LP. I believe a more accurate example of re-releasing material in the form of a new album is 2014’s Crosses debut. On this particular case, after releasing two 5 songs EP’s for digital download, the duo decided to recycle this material but adding a third then-unreleased 5 song EP in a sequence that actually made sense and made it into a full length. What I mean using these examples is that something like this has been done before, but it can either make or break and band’s reputation, as these things can obviously be marketed with enough tact, consideration and respect for its audience, and I don’t believe this is the scenario with Vega.

This “brand new album” followed a very strange and confusing set of statements made by the band; Stephen Christian announced he won’t be touring with Anberlin despite the fact that the band just recently came back from their hiatus, played a few shows and released new material. Shortly after Matty Mullins was announced as replacement yet Stephen would still be involved in the recording process for new material. Obviously, fans were pretty anxious and interested in whatever the band would be doing next, specially since the touring situation is tricky and posed several questions in regards to recording with two vocalists. Then Vega was announced and reality sets in, as this purely a marketing ploy for bigger tours and sales. That’s it and there is nothing beyond what is really going on here, and that’s what really hurts this release and the band’s legacy. A wasted opportunity to say the least.

As for the two new songs, “Seven” is pretty good and explores the heavy side of Anberlin that was already displayed with “Two Graves”, “Lacerate” and “Animals”. Matty actually sounds decent here (even though still not a good fit for Anberlin, in my opinion), and then “Walk Alone” is a pop punk song that attempts to go back to the band’s roots, but ends up sounding generic at best. I guess if you go into this without ever listening to either Silverline or Convinced then sure there’s plenty of great material here, but this album represents a cheap shot to the fans and their own legacy that shouldn’t be replicated by any other set of respectable musicians.



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2.6
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Comments:Add a Comment 
bananatossing
August 2nd 2024


2431 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

not much of a review but a quick rant. fuck this album

rc239
August 2nd 2024


413 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

so this really ended up being the two EPs mashed together with the two new songs and not even re-recorded with the new vocalist? lmao

Pikazilla
August 2nd 2024


31116 Comments


the new songs on here might even be worse than the poo on new surrender

butt.
August 2nd 2024


11095 Comments


Matty Mullins is touring with them now? Holy shit that’s low

Mongi123
August 2nd 2024


22076 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Okay, but as a whole, does it work? We know what will happen here. Let’s not be babies and just rate it poorly because you’ve heard it already. How’s the whole package together?



Stephen’s statement wasn’t strange to me at all. He didn’t wanna your but he wanted to still record and do vocalists so they’d need a stage replacement. I’ll listen to the whole thing later but damn. The internet is wacky sometimes. Pos btw man. Just venting in general.

William21
August 2nd 2024


912 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

That’s my bigger problem with this actually, they kinda butchered the track listing a bit in the context of the EPs—Animals makes no sense as an opener, Two Graves makes no sense NOT being an opener, and Circles shouldn’t have been so early



Walk Alone is trash but Seven was surprisingly solid — though I agree Mullins makes no sense as an Anberlin vocalist. I’ll still probably buy this so I can have the contents of Silverline and Convinced on CD



I agree that we should be rating this based on the quality of the music/overall unit though—not based on how the band handled the release. Yeah, it’s a bit lame that this is basically a compilation, but that’s just the music industry these days sadly

bananatossing
August 2nd 2024


2431 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Thanks @mongi



"That’s my bigger problem with this actually, they kinda butchered the track listing a bit in the context of the EPs—Animals makes no sense as an opener, Two Graves makes no sense NOT being an opener, and Circles shouldn’t have been so early"



I swear I was about to type exactly this. Like fuck, "Circles" segues perfectly into "Nothing More". They didn't even bother to change some of the abrupt song endings. It's just so lazy lol



My rating still stands, though, as I won't be relistening to this any time soon and I have already rated these songs accordingly on the EP's. I do acknowledge this is probably a great first listen, but I am biased and I just can't enjoy this tracklist as it is. It's all over the place for me.

Christbait
August 2nd 2024


639 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Releasing songs that retroactively sully what were a decent couple of EPs is a wild choice. Money-grubbing at its worst. Also, if I'm an Anberlin fan and I have to listen to Mullins cover Anberlin's good shit with his pop-punk grate I'm hawking the tickets outside the venue as quickly as possible.

bananatossing
August 2nd 2024


2431 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Yeah it doesn't make any sense going to an Anberlin concert without its main identifier lol

Lasssie
August 8th 2024


1937 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

The album cover is also very very ugly

Pikazilla
August 8th 2024


31116 Comments


vega is a cool street fighter character

Lasssie
August 8th 2024


1937 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

He should have fought this album and shown his Verga supremacy and stopped this from existing or something. K.O

bananatossing
August 9th 2024


2431 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Unknowingly, with that typo you just said cock/dick in spanish (verga)

bananatossing
August 9th 2024


2431 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

should have been the name of the album since fans where really fucked with this release

Lasssie
August 9th 2024


1937 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Album cover is actually an x ray of a verga

bananatossing
August 9th 2024


2431 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

wow its totally a cross sectional view of a Verga haha

Lasssie
August 9th 2024


1937 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

We are onto something here!



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