Vantablack Warship – Abrasive Pulmonic Speak – Album Review (2017)

Vantablack Warship will unleash their debut full-length album, Abrasive Pulmonic Speak, on January 26, 2018, and it has razor sharp fucking teeth. The eight-track album delivered by the supergroup comprised of Quebec-based heavy metal scene veterans (members hail from bands Arseniq33, Ghoulunatics, Brutal Chérie, Foreshadow, Les Ékorchés, and Buffalo Theory Mtl) destroys and proves why Montreal is, without a doubt, the heavy metal capital of Canada.

Whether the band knows it or not, it has tapped into something that could appeal to fans of all sorts of heavy metal genres — and what’s amazing is that it seems unintentional and 100% genuine.

Although Vantablack Warship are being typecast as “DeathThrash,” elements of punk, hardcore, nu metal, grunge, and of course, thrash and death are all present and accounted for. There’s definitely a lot of Slayer and Municipal Waste influence throughout, but you can also hear Helmet (“Black Tongue Bertha”), Nirvana (“The Blackhole”), Eyehategod (“Crisis”), and then some.

It’s a rare thing these days, but this album has me truly excited and feeling like a kid again. The heavy metalic guitar riffs sound incredible, the tone of the snare is perfect, the fullness of the kick drum and the bass can be felt in your groin, plus the melodies and progressions (especially in the album’s title track), it all adds up to an impeccable album that demands to be in your regular rotation.

What I do wish, however, was that the cymbals were brought up in the mix. I understand that it is the way it is so as not to cover up the vocals, but those could have been brought out more too. But if the vocals were brought forward any more than they are, perhaps those would dominate the rest of the music. There’s also an unfortunate lack of guitar soloing.

The Verdict:

Warning, this album is intended for true heavy metal fans. Don’t let this one slip under the radar. It’s aggressive, in-your-face heavy metal that gives a shit what you might think about it.

Rock Hard \m/