Album Review: Vigilance – Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance (Dying Victims Productions)

On June 9th Adelsberg’s Vigilance will release their new album, Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance via Dying Victims Productions.

A short guitar driven into, Prologue leads into the title track, Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance that picks up pace until it’s got a nice speed metal sound. It’s raw as fuck which is only heightened by the blackened metal vocal style.

There’s no denying that it’s not the easiest song to get on with as the vocals clash constantly with the guitars & the drums are pretty low in the mix. However as the album goes on it begins to really grow on you.

Nekropola Tiranov is a big improvement showcasing some really stellar guitar work & some groove-orientated bass lines. Even the vocals work far better here, enhancing the melodies although the screams do come across a bit silly sounding.

These moments threaten to derail a few of the songs on this 8 track album. As the Fires Burn is ruined by these sudden increases in pitch & volume, it’s so irritating as it sounds like a poor attempt to sound like Judas Priest’s Rob Halford. It’s a real shame because a lot of the time it’s an absolute barn-burner of a song in particular the final minute.

A short burst of instruments only on the excellent Flames of Udun leads into the ‘fist pumping’ Legion Kondor. A song that proves that when those higher pitched screams are absent, Vigilance are absolutely killing it with their blend of speed & black metal.

The double header of At the Helm of the Pack & Zloba II keep things strong for the finale of Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance. The former is fast paced slice of metal pie while the latter is a lengthy trip through everything Vigilance have shown throughout the album so far (except those screams thankfully).

There is a lot of great things about Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance. The mixing of genres results in a very unique sound & there are some serious hooks throughout. It’s just those annoying screaming moments that let things down.

Vigilance – Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance Full Track Listing:

1. Prologue
2. Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance
3. Nekropola Tiranov
4. As the Fires Burn
5. Flames of Udun
6. Legion Kondor
7. At the Helm of the Pack
8. Zloba II

You can pick up Hammer of Satan’s Vengeance over on Bandcamp  as check the band out over on Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation & YouTube.