I don’t exactly regard myself very lyrics-oriented person when it comes to listening to music but, once in a while, along comes an album that comes jam-packed not only with pristine songs but also with lyrics that really hit the spot. This time, it was the metal bunch, VULTURE INDUSTRIES, hailing from Bergen, Norway, that really made me prick my ears and fold out the lyrics sheet for closer examination. The song in question was the opening track, “New Lords of Light,” from their new studio album, “Ghosts From the Past,” released on June 16th, 2023, via Dark Essence Records. Resonating with the air of Nick Cave‘s most bone-chilling contributions to the world of lyrics and literature, these following few lines bear nothing short of an uncanny relevance, considering what’s happening in the world right now: “Desperate for answers the mob awaits / waiting for the chosen to tap the outlet for their rage / like stray dogs long lost in the night / not conscious of which hand to bite.” Of course, the impact was all that much greater because the music did really complement the sentiment too, what with the sublime mix of apocalyptic post-punk and garage-rock grinding. The impact was something like a cross between MUSTASCH and KILLING JOKE, or as some fans would phrase it, like NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS if only they played heavy metal. While the band’s name vaguely did ring a bell, this is the first time I’ve really dug into their music – and by way of making the first impression, their fifth studio effort couldn’t possibly have set out on better footing.
The phrasing and tone of the band’s vocalist, Bjørnar Erevik Nilsen, condenses into a nice cross between Ralf Gyllenhammar of MUSTASCH and Ian Astbury of THE CULT, and paired with the album’s lyrical themes reflecting a world spinning out of control, this charges the songs with a peculiar aura of doom. On occasion, he sounds like the archetypal mad prophet proclaiming fire and brimstone to befall the world. Then again, the writing process for this outing started already in 2018 and did not end until 2022, so I guess it would have been next to impossible for the endeavor not to mirror the sinister mood of the times. Like I’ve said before, in contrast to all the crap that it shoved our way, the pandemic helped quite a few artists to reach new heights in terms of creativity. Here’s yet another bunch, ramping up their already rather convincing hustle to new, almost insane levels of awesomeness in the wake of this dark period of transition. Well, the band started out as a Goth band in 2004, so I would reckon these folks eat darkness for breakfast.
The Gothic underpinnings pop to the surface most prominently on the track “Not By Blood, But By Words,” which sounds like Vincent Price reciting a dark incantation in one of those vintage horror films directed by Roger Corman. Whether flirting with the vintage post-punk aesthetics of the 1980s or with the heavy-metal code of conduct from the same era, VULTURE INDUSTRIES keeps to the good side of the argument by rolling out strong melodies and tight riffs. “Saturn Devouring His Young,” for instance, has riffs that even Ronnie James Dio would have approved of. Then, to spice things up a bit, “This Hell Is Mine” side-steps into the realm of Ennio Morricone – yes, the spaghetti-western horns come off as the real cherry on top of the outlaw-country-ish guitars, and they make a comeback in the follow-up track, “Deeper,” although this time staring perhaps a tad more mournfully into the distance.
Listening to the album is like having a go with one of those vintage, cartridge-based console games; yeah, there wasn’t perhaps so much of that CGI eye-candy but the level of immersion was just the same – and it was induced by virtue of good storytelling only, which in this case translates to killer songs with thought-provoking lyrics to boot. It is the winning combo for tapping into perhaps the most sophisticated rendering engine of all: the human mind. I should have maybe checked out this band a lot sooner but, as luck would have it, now that they made such a good impression with their fifth offering, I’ve got four more albums to dig into shortly after I’ve digested this magnificent selection to the proper max.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
1. New Lords of Light
2. Saturn Devouring His Young
3. This Hell Is Mine
4. Deeper
5. Right Here in the Dark
6. Not By Blood, But By Words
7. Tyrants Weep Alone
Lineup
Tor Helge Gjengedal – drums, percussion
Kyrre Teigen – bass, vocals
Øyvind Madsen – guitars
Eivind Huse – guitars, vocals
Bjørnar Erevik Nilsen – vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion
Label
Dark Essence Records