Vortech – Devoid of Life (2012)

Hailing from Finland, today we have Vortech and their super catchy Industrial Death Metal release titled “Devoid of Life”. Similar to bands like Shade Empire, the band delivers high-octane songs that feature trippy atmospheric elements that will have the listener begging for more. Perfectly blending aggressive riffs and powerful vocals with a futuristic vibe, this band is catchy and brutal as they come.

Opening with the solid “The Black Rite”, we have a good dosage of heavy riffs and screams nicely offset by an epic futuristic ambiance. The drumming is pretty intense, a particular strong point of the band since similar acts usually use shitty programmed drums. The synths/programming of “Neurovirus” make this track quite catchy and very well crafted, keeping the intense flow of this release to the limit.

Uber catchiness continues with one of our favorite tracks titled “Shattered Cities”. The precise drumming and carefully crafted programming create a superb atmosphere in this playful track. “Demon in the Circuitry” nicely delivers more catchy electronic effects, but it is also restless in its core thanks to the well-crafted riffs and aggressive vocals. The same can be said for the intense “Frozen Machine”, another one of the stand out tracks of this powerful release.

Since the intensity shift from the previous track, the band delivers “Lost” and “Unveiling The Future”, two tracks are quite aggressive in nature and with a few funky atmospheric elements that nicely break the monotony of traditional Industrial Death Metal. The sexy “The Apocalypse” is our favorite track in this release thanks to the sick atmospheric elements and the overall slower and more delicate approach of this song. If you like instrumentals, the closing “Grains of Reality” is quite trippy and intoxicating, a perfect closer for such an intense and catchy release.

Our promo copy of this release has eight extra tracks that seem to have a few live song that showcase the band’s talents in bringing their complex sound perfectly over to the live setting. It also has other tracks that differ in recording quality and some others that seem to be remixes that emphasize the Industrial elements of the band.

While only considering the nine tracks listed in this album, Vortech has a pretty solid sound and delivers a very enjoyable listening experience. “Devoid of Life” is filled with aggressive riffing, excellent drumming, and very catchy atmospheric elements that any fan of the genre would really enjoy. If the added eight tracks are on the regular version of this release, they truly add some extra value for your money and showcase the band’s abilities in the live setting. If you like Industrial Death Metal, you should definitely go out and get this release from the band’s website.

Release: April 7th, 2012

Genre: Industrial Death Metal

Country: Finland