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VANISHMENT “And Now We Die”
VANISHMENT “And Now We Die”
By Theron Moore
Seattle Washington’s thrash kings VANISHMENT released their new record ‘And Now We Die’ January 23 via M-Theory Audio and holy shit, this thing is a beast! I discovered VANISHMENT back in 2024 and instantly became a fan of them. What makes them stand out is their sheer mastery and understanding of both the genre of metal in general, what it takes to craft the perfect fusion of speed / thrash in a way that doesn’t sound ripped off or generic. And, by the way, that’s a good way to describe “And Now We Die”.
Right off the bat VANISHMENT sets the standard for excellence with their first three songs, “Scarred In Fate,” “Darkened Innocence,” and “How I Bleed.” The best way to describe what you’re listening to is: Heavy Fucking Metal, that’s it. “And Now We Die” strikes a perfect balance between straight forward metal and knowing when to change gears and hammer up the speed / thrash component which Vanishment gives you with “Scarred In Fate,” “Darkened Innocence,” and “How I Bleed.” To be fair to the boys, it’s the whole record, not just these three songs.
A lot of bands go out of their way to prove their battle vest worthiness by slathering on waaaay too much speed and thrash that doesn’t fit in where it’s supposed to. The songs on “And Now We Die” prove how well VANISHMENT knows metal and better yet, how to write music and put songs together that reflect this.
“Steel Demise” is a speed demon / tooth chipper that starts out fast and never stops going for the throat. It reminds me a lot of FLOTSAM & JETSAM without copping the band’s sound or songwriting style. I can only imagine what the pit looks like for this one! All in all, ‘And Now We Die’ is a solid metal rager that’ll satisfy the staunchest fans of JUDAS PRIEST to the heads tuned into TESTAMENT. Buy it, try it, die it, “And Now We Die” is pure metal thrashing madness.
4/5 Stars
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