Vex – Sky Exile (2016)

Hailing from the USA, today we have the superbly unique Vex and their 3rd full-length release “Sky Exile”. Seamlessly blending influences of Death/Thrash/Progressive Metal with melodic undertones, this band’s sound is quite refreshing and unique. Reminding us of bands like Cenotaph, Buried Dreams and The Chasm, this band has a very unique and polished sound that is very diverse and engaging.

Slowly building up from the intro, the album really kicks off with the intense “To Anacreon (Strangling the Muse)”, a very diverse track that showcases heavy riffs, crushing growls and very proggy Enslaved-like rhythmical sections. Perfectly continuing the uniqueness of this release, “Empyrean” provides an interlude before the melodic brilliance of “Antithetical Age”. In this track we have again that gritty Death/Thrash Metal influences paired with more melodic influences, and even some clean vocals to fully round up the song.

Mixing progressive elements into their quite unique musical core allows Vex to sound quite different than everybody else. In songs like “Nowhere Near”, “The Cygnus Light”, and “Solar Sacrament”, the band fully experiments with elements as diverse as acoustic passages and atmospheric interludes to deliver a very unpredictable and fresh musical experience. Our favorite track in this release is the multi-faceted “Dark Skies Painted” and its intricate tempo changes paired with solid atmospheric elements.

As the album progresses, the band do not seem to run out of ideas since “30 Miles from Here” and “August 11th” are as diverse an unique as the first songs. This originality paired with good musical sense makes Vex a very unique Metal band that is not afraid of trying something different. Filled with brilliant ideas and well-crafted songs, “Sky Exile” is by far one of the most exciting and diverse releases of 2016. If you are looking for heavy music filled with unique influences and expertly executed, look no further and pick up a copy of this release.

Label: Eihwaz Recordings

Release: June 15th, 2016

Genre: Melodic Thrash/Death Metal

Country: USA