Another day another record, but it’s rare that the next record is as weird and interesting as Cvlt Of Machina. It's an album that comfortably balances prog metal with At The Gates style riffage, weird post metal choruses with grind-like riffs, and crushing growls with gently scaled-back arpeggiated passages; VRSA can’t help but fascinate. The breadth of sound on this record is exciting. It shows a band who invested a ton of time into recording just three songs but knew that those three songs had the balls on them to maybe stand against the test of time.
This isn’t always a self-evident path, but it’s certainly one that VRSA are trying to go down. Cvlt Of Machina is a monster of metal songwriting, it taps into a lot of neat modern ideas but manages to balance it in a way that doesn’t feel pretentious or overwrought; even if at times the delivery is a bit clunky.
That’s sort of the issue with this record, I love a lot of the ideas behind it and the clear bold-faced ambition that defines its most interesting moments. Still, at times the band doesn’t quite achieve the shining star they so clearly desire. The clean tone is not what it needs to be and while the songs make sense logically, it seems contrasting elements are sometimes pushed a little bit too far. When I say this album is a monster of songwriting it’s a literal monster.
It is awesome in scale but at times needing to be reeled in and controlled. That being said, the sheer diversity of influences on Cvlt of Machina is exciting. It reminds us that there are still interesting things being done in metal and VRSA is bringing some of the most fascinating stuff to the table. While their sound sometimes feels like a bizarre continuation on 90's melodeath bands, the ideas they have brought in a ton of prog, grind and other good stuff thrown in to make for a unique listening experience.
This is not a record that is always easy to listen to, but Cvlt Of Machina is going to definitely perk your ears up once or twice. Even if you aren’t sold on the production quality or the uniquely weird elements that serve to make it so interesting to nerds like me, there are definitely some pretty epic hooks and frills that decorate the sound throughout.
The bizarre ornamentation and sense that world is going to slowly fall apart around you the more you spin this album is a key part of the appeal. Cvlt Of Machina shows a band hard on the path of success, struggling to expand their role but with the vision and panache to execute something not just wonderfully unique but also with the potential to open up broad new swathes of sound. I’m not saying that this band should blow up tomorrow, but keep an eye out and they just might surprise you.
Score: 7/10
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