Vaelmyst – Secrypts of the Egochasm
Release Date: 13th August 2021
Label: Self-Release
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Melodic Death Metal
FFO: Krystalyan, Sylvatica, Kambrium.
Review By: The Wayfaerer
The debut album is arguably the most important of a band’s career. It puts you on the map, it establishes who you are and what your band is all about. Of course, there are exceptions; you don’t hear Judas Priest playing anything off Rocka Rolla these days, but by and large, the expectations for what you can look forward to in a band’s career largely can be seen on their debut album. Enter Vaelmyst, a Los Angeles based Melodeath band comprised of Jonathan V of Chaos Dimension fame along with both Wyatt Bentley and Ronny Lee Marks from Statius fame. After starting off the band with a couple of singles and an EP in 2018, Vaelmyst is finally releasing their first full length foray with Secrypts of the Egochasm, an album that is taking a look at many different old school styles of metal and bringing them up to date.
Secrypts the Egochasm opens strong with Espirit de Corpus leading the charge with the dual lead guitar harmonies that is a staple of modern melodeath, but Vaelmyst is not content with just being blackened melodeath, they also incorporated traditional Heavy Metal and Speed Metal riffs and solos. This is brought to the foray with Dawnless which opens with a lead guitar harmony that sounds like something Ronnie James Dio would’ve put on Holy Diver. Spineless Throne goes for a blackened thrash groove that grabs you by the balls and never lets go. It also has the best solo on the album, with Marks letting all of his influences out in one blistering shredfest. The Ghost of Ire is…fine. More blackened melodeath with a little thrash thrown in, but there was nothing really for me to grab onto to help it stand out. Ghoulish Delight on the other hand is a groovy blackened thrash tune that’s carried by Jonathan V’s hellish growls and another blistering guitar solo reminiscent of the old school Speed Metal masters. Into the Egochasm is an interlude that leads into Envenom the Sea which is…also fine. Not really much to say about it either. Honestly, both this and The Ghost of Ire both seemed to blend together for me and didn’t leave much of an impression. The Coin of This Realm on the other hand, is how you end an album; a triumphant anthem that goes through multiple peaks and valleys, like a long journey that is coming to an end.
The album is short, but it’s just as long as it needs to be, clocking in at 41 minutes. No song overstays its welcome, which leads to lots of replay value, which I encourage, as I found that multiple listens really helps you appreciate all the different stylistic choices for each song. And the best part is that it all works. Blending Blackened Melodeath with Thrash, Speed, and Traditional Heavy Metal is a recipe that you wouldn’t think would work out all that well, but Vaelmyst mixes it fantastically.
Of course, not everything is perfect. The Ghost of Ire and Envenom the Sea feel like filler and the drums were merely serviceable. Don’t get me wrong, Bentley does a great job, but there was nothing about the drums that really stood out and they seemed more to prop up Marks’ guitar skills more than his own. I think if Bentley was really let off the hook then this album really could be the next big thing. But overall, this is a great debut album for Vaelmyst to use as a template going forwards, and I can’t wait to see what they put out next.
(4 / 5)
