Vile Tyrant - Consummation Of The Black Arts
Hailing from the great white north... of Utica, New York... It's my honor to present Vile Tyrant and their 2016 EP, Consummation of the Black Arts. A full force black metal release that quite honestly impressed the unholy hell out of me. Here in the U.S. it's a bit of a rarity to find a band that really understands the alchemy involved in making black metal so when you come across a band like Vile Tyrant you better pay attention because these guys have fucking nailed it.
Formed in 2012 Vile Tyrant has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years before the release of Consummation of the Black Arts. Their current lineup [per the EP release] consists of Aphotis (vocals and bass) Khandrak (lead guitar), Bezual (guitar and synth) and Kimaris (drums).
I asked the band about their music style and the general themes they are trying to convey. After listening to Consummation of the Black Arts I wasn't surprised at all by the answer I received...
From a lyrical perspective, what we create is Luciferian allegories. The lyrics are a completion of the music, so the song's energy bleeds out and permeates the lyrics we write. As for the music itself, the songs we compose are dependent upon our current mood, but to a large extent it's an expression or dedication of ourselves as an offering to Lucifer.
With that being said it should come as absolutely no surprise that when I ask about major influences I was told...
Lucifer, Wrath, Pride and Lust
The first time I listened to Vile Tyrant I was immediately impressed with how well "put together" they sounded. This wasn't your typical debut effort; this was a fully formed and well executed (mature) sound that is a rarity in an EP release. Everything about Consummation of the Black Arts worked together flawlessly; instrumentation, vocals balance and mixing. Rhythm and tempo changes are masterfully executed without feeling forced or clunky and there is just enough verse/chorus to give each song an enjoyable hook but doesn't fall into the traditional "rock" trap that can happen with newer bands.
Musically what I enjoyed the most was the full sound that Vile Tyrant has achieved on Consummation of the Black Arts. Every square inch of each track is filled with a deeply layered sound that even some well known bands don't achieve in their music. On the vocal front again I can't find much of anything to bitch about here. Lyrics and music flow together with a quality that even "big name" groups can't always achieve and after the third or fourth time listening to the album I found myself growling along with Aphotis while driving to work.
One of the tracks that really stood out for me was Scourging The Bastard Christ because it features several different pure black metal "qualities" that are often overlooked by a lot of bands. It has the right atmosphere and tempo changes as well as excellent guitar work and vocals. It really stood out as one of the highlights of the EP for me and I think it's definitely my favorite track on the album.
In the area of critiques I don't have many for Vile Tyrant. About the only thing that really struck me at all was occasionally the guitar would seem a bit repetitive in spots, playing the same series of chords for a while before changing it up. But then again when you listen to an album several times in a very short amount of time you start to notice things other people might never hear or care about. So at the end of the day I just didn't have anything about this album that I didn't like. For a debut effort it is a piece of quality work from top to bottom.
Like so many of the bands I have had the privilege to listen to since starting Cemetery Lament, Vile Tyrant is yet another example of incredible talent, vision and craftsmanship. You can really tell these guys are putting their black twisted souls into each song they write. Yet again I find myself scratching my head and wondering why doesn't a band like Vile Tyrant have a record label knocking on their door? In the meanwhile however there is a full length album in the works for release in 2017 as well as a music video for one of the songs on that album, Unto Wrath be Given. Vile Tyrant will also be performing a show with Suffocation on May 30th so be sure to look into that if you are in their area.
You can connect with Vile Tyrant through social media at the following links as well as Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.
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