Vampire – Rex: Album Review

By Dominic Walsh on 22nd June 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

Vampire return from the murky depths of their old town Gothenburg dwellings to deliver another wickedly blazing record, and a career highlight.

Released: 19th June 2020

Label: Century Media

Format: CD / LP / Coloured LP / Digital

As with many things, music is cyclical. The influence of a generation holds sway over the next one. Vampire tread the influences of the greats superbly whilst wielding their own macabre manner into the fiendish mix.

Fronted by Hand of Doom, guitarists Black String and Sepulchral Condor, bassist Command, and drummer Abysmal Condor Rex is a fierce whirlwind of an album will see the bands black star rise higher than ever.

Wiru-Akka is an early highlight of the album. There are wailing guitars, a furious tempo and some truly hellish vocals. Pandemoni has an opening that could sit on Ride The Lightening topped with some truly glorious soloing. Moloch continues the furious pace in it’s intro but the twin guitars and tempo change as the track builds is reminiscent of fellow countrymen, In Solitude. The snarl of the vocals bring an incredibly harder edge to the sound though.

The longest track on Rex is the epic Anima. A chugging guitar riff and a gradual layering of instruments builds in an apocalyptic way before a gutteral roar sets the music off. The grandeur of Merceyful Fate is hard not to hold up as an influence here. Again, the solo work from the guitar duo is spectacular.

Death/thrash influences adorn the albums title track. Thrash pace, razor sharp riffs, and a few sound effects add to the aura of horror, whilst always retaining melody at it’s heart. Melek-Taus closes the album and is the absolute cherry on the top of this dastardly, blood soaked cake. There is a black metal feel to the pounding end as well as some emphatic and towering guitar work before an acoustic outro.

If you are in any way into heavy metal from the past or present, then Vampire’s Rex is for you. Dissection, Death, Bathory and Iron Maiden motifs all mesh together to create a sound that sits Vampire amongst other excellent modern metal bands like Haunt, Visigoth, Winterfylleth and Bewitcher.

Watch the video for Rex below.