AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): VACIVUS — “NUCLEAR CHAOS”

I first paid attention to the UK black/death metal band Vacivus when discovering their 2015 EP Rite of Ascension, much as one might pay attention to a nuclear air burst overhead, just before the shockwave hits. We delivered the premiere of Rite of Ascension in all its terrible glory, and today we bring you the premiere of another Vacivus EP, this one a two-song detonation named Nuclear Chaos that will be released in March on 7″ vinyl by Goatprayer Records. It can be considered a prelude to the band’s next full-length album, which this time will be released by Profound Lore Records.

I frothed at the mouth over this band’s last EP, writing of Rite that “it’s not for the faint of heart, but I think it will hold a strong appeal to fans of savage, void-faring death metal that brings both killer riffs and a poisonous, otherworldly atmosphere.” I also ventured the guess that it marked “the stunning appearance of a band whose name we expect to see praised throughout the dark places in the underground where ancient death worship is the order of the day.” The Profound Lore signing could be seen as confirmation of that forecast.

If you’re not already on board the Vacivus helltrain, now’s a good time to get on board before that forthcoming Profound Lore full-length pulls an even bigger throng along for the ride.

The first song you’ll hear below is “Unchaining the Winds of Uncreation“. It’s an imposing title, but not an exaggerated one. It may begin in muted fashion, but it builds in strength, with seething tremolo riffing that oozes a morbid miasma, ghastly roaring vocals, and a pulsing drumbeat that goes like a heartbeat on the brink of traumatic death. The swarm and stink of pestilential plague in the music is segmented by brutish jabs, eerie ambient fog, and crazed soloing — along with transformations of the vocals into demonic shrieks.

“Blind Idiot God“, the second track, wastes no time beginning the vicious work of ripping and tearing. The band’s skill at generating gruesome and grisly atmosphere is on full display, with the drumwork again providing a vibrant if unpredictable drive-train. Dismal leads and freakish soloing pepper a song that’s full of twists and turns and vividly displays the intricacies of the band’s compositional bent. It rivets the attention much like a nest of vipers that’s just landed in your living room. It hammers with pile-driving force and ravages with ferocious intensity, and at the end it simply oozes with sickening decay. A true kaleidoscope of the changing forms of death.

Goatprayer recommends the EP for fans of Cruciamentum, Blood Incantation, Grave Miasma, and Dead Congregation. That’s good company to be in, and the comparisons make sense when you hear the music.

Nuclear Chaos was recorded at the Garage, South Shields, in November 2015. It was mixed and mastered by Dan Lowndes (Resonance Sound Studio), and features impressive cover art by Brooke Johnson. The release will be limited to 250 copies on 7″ black vinyl, and should be available by March 31, 2017. The digital version is available now on Bandcamp, and the vinyl edition can be pre-ordered there or at the Goatprayer web shop linked below:

http://www.goatprayerrecords.com/shop/
https://goatprayerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nuclear-chaos

Vacivus on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/vacivus/