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At long last, five years after the monumental album “Psychotic Sculpture,” veteran symphonic metallers, Vesperian Sorrow from Austin Texas, unleash their newest opus entitled “Regenesis Creation.” Frustrated with the lack of commitment and empty promises from several record labels, the Vesper crew made the bold and risky decision to release and fund the production of their new album themselves for one simple reason; their fans had been kept waiting long enough and people needed to hear this work of art. Devoted to their craft and to their fans, it was a risk worth taking and the proof is in the pudding.
Lyrically, “Regenesis Creation” is a concept album straight from the mind of singer Donn Donni. It tells a fictional story of a race of beings in a distant universe, exiled and forced into a new beginning on another planet or other worldly place. The lyrics are difficult to follow obviously because they deal with wholly fictitious places and people and oftentimes they are portrayed in a poetic manner. This is business as usual though for Donni as his lyrics generally deal in astral and abstract concepts which fit the music perfectly. Speaking of… “Regenesis Creation” is yet another delve into epic, symphonic extreme metal, only this time around there are some strong hints of progressiveness with even a few segments where a female vocalist sings a few lines. The atmosphere created truly gives you the feeling of a vast landscape. After a short minute and a half intro of lush orchestration and the beating of large kettle drums, “Invisible Kingdom” gets the album started, blasting right out of the gate, guns blazing. One of the first things anyone will notice when listening to Vesperian Sorrow is the amazing drumming of Kristoph; a virtual octopus behind the kit hammering away. “Invisible Kingdom” is undoubtedly one of the best songs in Vesperian’s impressive repertoire. It comes at you as furious as anything they’ve done. Half way through, it breaks into a sweeping symphony followed with some of the most impressive soloing and guitar work in their history and ending with a repetitive verse sung in majestic closure. “Invisible Kingdom” leaves nothing to be desired as to what you should expect for the duration of the album. “Imprisoned in Gurdon” (Gurdon being one of these fictional places) comes next and shows no intention of slowing the album down at this point. A shorter song at only four and a half minutes, but still going full speed. Riffs aplenty and more superb drum work. A short, sweet riff fest. The title track opens with a nice piano intro but the formula is still in full force. The small amount of female vocals are introduced here mainly as backing but it really adds a nice touch to the atmosphere. Near the end, the song breaks into an almost electronica segment which speaks towards my initial statement about the progressiveness of the album as well as the overall riffing throughout. “Quest of the Exiled,” alongside “Invisible Kingdom,” is the highlight of the album. Here, they let their talents shine unabashedly both in songwriting and musical ability. It’s also their most requested song to play live and is Donni’s self-admitted favorite song they’ve written. The synth is also at its heaviest on this song which gives it a very “spacey” feel. Up next is “Relinquished” which is another fast paced, catchy song that ends with more sweeping symphonics and a short but elegant verse done by that elusive female vocalist. “The Forever Vortex” opens with a highly addictive riff quickly followed by another short stint of electronica with a good bass line and subtle acoustics in the background before blasting back to full speed with more soloing. The album ends with the nearly ten minute long song “Vanquished,” and if I can follow the lyrics properly, it closes the story by telling of the people’s newfound glory of vanquishing their enemies and being total rulers over their new home. The consistent trend throughout the album is that every song will keep you guessing with constant fluctuations in speed and instruments. This is one of those albums where the more you listen to it, the more your “favorite song” will change. Each one has a life of its own and there is absolutely no filler in the slightest. The packaging and layout is a nice, yet simple digipak with an inner folder sleeve where the insert rests. The cover shows a nighttime landscape where large pillars stand in ruin of what was once a great city. The view is that of looking through the opening of a cave or maybe even some kind of vessel from space, out onto the deserted ground in front as if the exiled race of people are seeing their new home for the first time. The insert is the fold-out style and not a stapled booklet. All the text is easy to read. Underneath the cd itself, through the transparent tray, is a portrait of the band members with Kristoph standing front and center. Whatever your opinion is on digipaks, they are still considerably more expensive to produce than a standard jewel case, which proves even more about Vesperian Sorrow’s determination to give the fan the very best and spare no expense in doing so. In the end, fair or not, I must compare this album to their previous work and in which case I feel that “Psychotic Sculpture” edges it out by a nose. What I found lacking in a very minute sense was that they might have sacrificed a little in the songwriting department in order to really showcase their incredibly impressive skills as musicians and the way they play their instruments as if they were born with them. Also I thought that Donni’s vocals came out a little weak. Sometimes they can get drowned out amid the fury of the music. It’s a delicate balance when dealing with so much sound that Vesperian Sorrow will always dish out. The album also seemed to be about one song too short; one more nine or ten minute opus to really make us sink far back into our chairs and revel in their might. Vesperian Sorrow is bound for greatness and a true testament to the underground scene and what gets overlooked on a daily basis. Record labels are fools not to invest some time into them. If and when they are able to put together to songwriting of “Psychotic Sculpture” and the showmanship of “Regenesis Creation,” then a masterpiece of renowned acclaim will await them and us. | |
