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VIGILANCE
Vigilance EP

Dying Victims Productions (2022)
Rating: 7.5/10

Postojna in Slovenia is the setting for what is a rather impressive new five-song EP from an overlooked band that has been plying its trade since 2010. With four full-length studio albums under their belt, Vigilance comes fully armoured for another batch of tunes propelled by the rather masterly percussion of Tine Kaluža.

If you like that early 80s vibe whereby the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement was somehow creating a speed metal ethos then you’ll dig Vigilance. This is a straight-up metal extravaganza dripping with nostalgic cob-webs while remaining edgy enough to never be perceived as stale mimicry.

The vocals of guitarist Gilian Adam are rough enough to toy with a Motörhead-cum-Running Wild aesthetic, but the all-round sound is one that bristles with retro charm while somehow maintaining its own fiery guise of mystery and occultism.

The fact these guys have previously covered Bathory’s classic cut ‘Sacrifice’ is testimony to their versatility, because one minute they are thrashing with demonic rage and the next channelling all manner of classic acts from Tokyo Blade to Venom via a Teutonic lashing.

There’s plenty of fretboard savagery and occult tomfoolery but it’s all serious and supercharged, and while Vigilance is certainly comfortable in its skin there are moments which showcase how the band has progressed from those early frenzied assaults. If I were you I’d jump on the Vigilance bandwagon and give the back catalogue a try too, because these guys are criminally underrated.

Neil Arnold

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