Vesperia – The Iron Tempests

It has been a couple of years since the last Vesperia release, but the Canadian band has been quite busy since then. In addition to playing plenty of dates across Canada, they were also recently crowned the Canadian Wacken Metal Battle champions, earning them the right to play at Wacken Open Air in Germany (an honour which lead vocalist/bassist Morgan Rider has already experienced when he played with Crimson Shadows). The band’s newest release, “The Iron Tempests”, shows their familiar sound taken in a slightly different, more serious direction.

In the past, it would have been fair to characterize Vesperia as a folky melodic death metal band. It appears that over time, the band has gradually dropped the overt folk elements in favour of more subtle keyboard or piano lines and orchestrations. In addition, while there is still plenty of melody on this EP, Vesperia is at times sounding much more like a traditional death metal band. The riffs are incredibly fast, heavy, and crunchy. None of them might be as catchy as “The Swordsman”, from their last album, but they’re certainly a lot more intense. Likewise, Morgan’s vocals are deeper than ever, and the band’s rhythm section is playing with lots of aggression (including blast beats).

“The Iron Tempests” offers up two original tracks, as well as a death metal version of “In The Hall of the Mountain King”. Both of the two original compositions are so exceptional that it would be unfair to say that one stands out above the other, but it is worth pointing out that the soloing in “Iron Saga” is absolutely insane. This is another area where the band has stepped things up another notch; their guitar playing is better than ever. In fact, the band could actually benefit from even more soloing, as what is presented here is incredibly well executed. The cover song is in line with the other two tracks in terms of quality, and is an interesting take on a classic. Personally, I prefer Savatage’s version (a band they will soon be sharing the stage with!), but Vesperia’s is quite potent.

On the whole, “The Iron Tempests” is a release that’s only flaw is that it’s too short. Vesperia’s music has evolved significantly over the last two years, despite still being true to the band’s earlier sound. This release is essential for all fans of death metal, melodeath, or even folk metal, despite the fact that the sound cannot be described as just one of those things.

Be sure to check out and like Vesperia on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

4.6/5 or 92%. 

Written by Scott 

Vesperia - An Olden Tale

Vesperia is a 4-piece folky death metal band that hails from the Great White North. They combine crushingly heavy riffs with upbeat Celtic melodies to create a unique blend of fun death metal. “An Olden Tale” is the band’s debut album under this name (they formerly released one album under the name Bolero) and is a fantastic release from Toronto's stellar metal scene.

The major element to this album is, of course, the way the folk elements are incorporated. This includes plenty of keyboards as well as other instruments that are used to contrast the guitars. Often times these folk elements don’t necessarily compliment what is going on underneath, but this just adds another layer to the music. For example, “Bring Me Triumph” is dominated by a banjo-like twangy melody when the vocals enter, but the other elements of the song function completely separately. Other times, however, the folk elements are more subdued, like in the brilliant single, “The Swordsman”. This track is by far the best on the album, as it is led by a remarkably catchy guitar melody that is echoed by the chunky, muted rhythm guitars. Morgan Rider’s monstrous vocals also follow along with this rhythm. His vocals – both clean and harsh - are a major plus to this record. The growls put Johan Hegg (Amon Amarth) and Johnny Hedlund (Unleashed) to shame. They’re so incredibly deep that they don’t sound entirely human. The clean vocals are fairly limited in range, but this approach tends to add more atmosphere to the album. In terms of the remaining instrumentation, it tends to be what you'd expect for a death metal record. The guitars are exceptionally crunchy, and they often deliver brutal riffing when the folk elements subside. The drumming exhibits everything you'd expect (blast beats, double bass, incredible precision), and more. Drummer Cory Hofing is perhaps better known for his relentless work in Crimson Shadows; however, Vesperia offers him more of an opportunity to mix up the drumming with more unique fills and drum beats. 

Looking at the tracklisting for “An Olden Tale”, it becomes apparent that the title track is going to be something epic, and it doesn’t disappoint. While it is only about 10 minutes of actual music (in contrast to its 17-minute playtime), this song goes through many different sections and sounds not previously heard on the record. The highlight of the track is near the end when it drops some of the metal elements and allows the bass guitar to come to the forefront of the music. This song is truly an excellent culmination of the album. Ultimately, however, every song is enjoyable, and while I generally don’t listen to very much folk-influenced metal, “An Olden Tale” is a solid release.

Be sure to check out and like Vesperia  on Facebook!

Highlights

"The Swordsman"

"Forsaken Shores"

"An Olden Tale"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott