Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Vigilance
Label: Histria Cult Records
Released: year_month
Runtime: 19:42
Rating: 4/5
If there’s one thing the Slovenian metal scene could be accused of in the past, it was simply a lack of (genre) diversity. Thrash and black metal have always been strong on our turf, while the other flavors of metal were less well represented. Luckily, that’s changing too, and among those who’ve helped broaden Slovenian metal are the heavy/speed metal maniacs Vigilance from Postojna, even more so with the release of their debut EP Steeds of Time. Gilian Adam pulled Vigilance together after the breakup of his previous band Rager, and on Steeds of Time they dove into the waters of heavy and speed metal and the melodicism of the New Wave of British Gigo Heavy Metal.
Sure, on this EP Vigilance aren’t reinventing the wheel. For that, they’d have had to put it out twenty or thirty years ago, back when their idols Iron Maiden, Tank and Angel Witch were around, more or less their age. Still, Steeds of Time sounds fresh and explosive. Vigilance take the music and the themes dead seriously, so they don’t come off as some kind of »parody« of eighties heavy metal, the way bands like White Wizzard, Fury UK and Skullfist manage to. Quite the opposite: Vigilance fuel their energy on the melodic roots of NWOBHM bands like Iron Maiden and Tank, and on the aggression and rawness of early speed metal, with Venom and Motörhead at the helm. All five tracks are accordingly fast, dynamic, packed with lively riffs, screaming vocals, breakneck speed and »vintage« NWOBHM melodies. Special praise goes to the superbly written riffs and solos, slotted neatly into the songs, from the guitar duo of Gilian Adam/Jakob Rejec , who capture the essence of the first wave of speed and heavy metal without breaking a sweat. To my great delight, the lads haven’t forgotten the bass either, and Anže Stegel really shines in that role, with a galloping rattle of bass that brings variety and a superb interplay with the guitar riffs. This unholy trinity is mostly responsible for the fact that Vigilance at times sound like one giant homage to Iron Maiden (the Iron Maiden and Killers era), and although those moments aren’t overly plentiful, it would still be worth thinking about steering a bit further clear of the legacy of the greats. I’m not saying the epic The White Horde, about a descendant of Genghis Khan and reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera, sounds bad, far from it; you can just hear that the EP is steeped in huge potential for a heavy metal that’s Vigilance’s very own. If you skim through Steeds of Time, a bit more variety between the individual tracks wouldn’t hurt either. Each one is a chapter full of tension on its own, but because they’re a little too alike, the explosiveness of the whole book fades slightly. The recently released single Behind the Cellar Door did completely dispel the fear that Vigilance would start repeating themselves, though. So going forward it’s worth making even fuller use of Rejec’s vocal potential, Gilian’s knack for writing riffs, dynamic structures and thoughtful lyrics (which touch on war, the occult, kamikazes and history ), and the technically excellent instrumental chops of all four members, but above all fixing the biggest flaw of Steed of Time – the weak production, which doesn’t let the music fully come alive and explode between the instrumental passages.
Despite a few early shortcomings, Steeds of Time is a record that, had you opened the book of metal at the NWOBHM/speed/heavy metal chapter, would be written into it in golden letters. Even though Vigilance are firmly anchored in an »archival« genre (which some would happily send to a premature grave), they manage to present their vision authentically and sincerely, and above all, all 19 minutes of the EP are guilty of giving you a »heavy« case of lumbago.
Lineup
Gilian Adam – guitar
Jakob Rejec – vocals, guitar
Anže Stegel – bass
Tine Kaluža – drums
Production
Rok Zalokar
Tracklist
1. Vigilance
2. Out of the Sun
3. Steeds of Time
4. Iron Beast
5. The White Horde
