Vltimas: Something Wicked Marches In (2019)

Here we have a blackened death metal supergroup.  Only time will tell if this one will be a one-off like I or if it will be a long-lasting one like Bloodbath.  Vltimas is made up of three members, each from a very famous band.  On drums is Flo Mounier, primarily from Cryptopsy.  The guitarist is Rune Eriksen, better known as Blasphemer, from Mayhem and Aura Noir among others.  And finally, playing bass and providing vocals is David Vincent, the better-known singer for Morbid Angel.  That is quite the lineup.

With supergroups, you can never quite tell what kind of quality you are going to get.  Sometimes the group is able to call upon all the disparate talents and release something truly amazing.  Other times, the egos of the members get in the way and the result is a sloppy, overwrought mess.  There was some concern with this release, particularly with the outlandish personalities of the three members.  But even more than that, there is the sharp decline in quality of each of the members' main bands.  Cryptopsy has not been very good in years.  Vincent has been mostly exploring non-metal music with his outlaw country project and his involvement with Genitorturers.  Only Blasphemer has been putting out decent material, but with Aura Noir, not Mayhem.  So there were some obvious concerns with how this album was going to turn out.

Those concerns were wiped away the minute the album begins.  The band members each sound revitalized.  The drumming is absolutely insane with Mounier turning in his best performance since Lord Worm was still with Cryptopsy.  When he was at his best, he was one of the greatest metal drummers of all time.  This album sees a return to those heights.  Vincent's vocals are every bit as impressive as they were during his first turn with Morbid Angel.  He does not deliver his vocals in a standard death metal roar, choosing instead an articulate harsh yell.  He does pull out some of the deep ominous clean vocals as used on "God of Emptiness".  Even Blasphemer turns in some truly impressive blackened death metal riffs.  The members each bring out their own style throughout, rather than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  The chemistry is fantastic as they work extremely well with each other.

The album is mostly a mid-paced death metal release, with some more blackened tremolo riffs shining through at times.  This is not terribly shocking given the members involved.  While it would have been an interesting change of pace to hear the members completely let loose, the album is punishingly heavy, intense and evil as all Hell.  There are some faster moments here, but it never quite sounds like they have truly hit the limits of their abilities.

I was honestly shocked by how great this album really is.  It is a definite contender for Album of the Year.  Supergroups rarely go beyond being a curiosity, but Vltimas sounds like a band that has been performing together for years.  Seldom are supergroups so fresh and vital.  This is one of the best ones I have ever heard.