Filthy Music Review - 'Vampire: S/T'

Vampire – S/T (2014)

Century Media

Review by Jude Felton

As it stands, right now, Century Media have got some great death metal on their roster. Alongside more established and veteran acts, they are also amassing a damned impressive selection of hungry, young new bands. The likes of Necrowretch and Morbus Chron, whose album Sweven you really should check out, and now the Swedish upstarts, Vampire, are all delivering some fine, and varied metal of death.

Now, I like to do a little research, when approaching a review, especially if it’s a new band and Vampire seem to be dividing folk out there in interweb land. What’s new there, you may ask? Not much, of that I can assure you. The worst offenders, usually, are those on the mighty YouTube. It is here that a band can be completely dissected on the strength of one song, with less than perfect sound quality. So, Vampire signed a great looking deal after only one demo? So what? They sound like such and such? Okay, your point is? Oh, you don’t have one? Moving on then and the self-titled album itself is actually incredibly good.

This is savage, aggressive death metal that hurtles along; a barrage of riffing, demonic growling and even a guitar solo of ten. Hell, you’ll always get an extra point if you throw in some solos! On a serious note though, this is an album full of raw energy that brings to mind the death metal of yore, whilst still sound fresh and new.

As a complete piece of work, it’s not an album in which you’re going to find a lot of filler, if any. It’s 30 odd minutes of focused bile, that does its damage and then leaves.

Alongside the more progressive death metal style of the aforementioned Century Media stable mates, Morbus Chron, who also hail from Sweden, Vampire offer up the perfect antidote. Both are very much death metal, but listening to the both of them, side by side, just goes to show the depth and variety in modern death metal; with Vampire offering up a more straightforward aggressive approach.

Songs like At Midnight I’ll Possess Your Corpse and The Fen are fine examples here, of a band that is on fire. Vampire is an excellent album, and I suggest you check it out at your earliest convenience. 

Tracklist:

1. Orexis

2. Howl from the Coffin

3. At Midnight I'll Possess Your Corpse

4. Ungodly Warlock

5. The Bestial Abyss

6. Black Deserts

7. Jaws of the Unknown

8. The Fen

9. Cellar Grave Vampire

10. Under the Grudge

Vampire is released by Century Media and is available on CD and Vinyl now.