There are a number of things that strike you when you see and listen to this sophomore by Norwegian progressive experimental thrashers Vorbid and that’s the very arty cover, the slightly strange album title, the sound which has an ultra-polished sheen plus the sheer ambition exuding from the eight songs which are exceptional. Their previous endeavour ‘Mind’ was reviewed here by yours truly (which you can read here) and was one of the best progressive thrash albums of 2018, such was its mind-blowing astuteness.

Centralised around Vorbid is their thematic lines of human behaviour and this second album continues that fertile field as opener ‘Ecotone’ starts things off, where another aspect you notice is the wildly varied song durations with this one knocking on the eight minute mark. The fade-in works a treat focusing your attention as the build-up, whilst short, catalyses and typifies what makes Vorbid very unique with their spiralling guitar work and experimental energy enveloping every tune. There are hints of mid-era Metallica on the riffing melodies but like the debut this is far more complex with nuances aplenty enhanced with their own blend of causticity, especially via the vocals. ‘Union’ follows and is shorter, its progressive leanings belies the fact the song is violent and aggressive, due to the way the band intertwines a myriad of touches. I’d even say the band has incorporated some art-rock feathering here and there, alongside the numerous riff changes that are quite often bewildering.

‘Ex-Ante’ demonstrates the bands mind-boggling time signatures with its pirouetting stratospheric musicality with seemingly boundless creativity and whilst my knowledge of musical theory is virtually zilch I am sure those of you who play instruments will marvel at just how extraordinarily talented these Norwegians are. With ‘Ex-Ante’ clocking double digits there’s a ton of time to immerse into their dazzling guitar work where the lead work shimmers incandescently throughout. I mentioned the causticity earlier, which arrives through the vocals generally but balanced with them are cleaner vocal soundbites adding sumptuous texture as those tempo deviations flood continually.

‘By The Edge Of Mandala’ acts as a sort of title track where the cleaner vocals really shine amidst the band’s onslaught tech-fest which possesses some jazz like infusions here and there. ’Paradigm’ had me scribbling Voivod down vociferously, primarily through the guitar sound and that weird twinge Voivod have on their riffing as the experimental facets rear up completely submerged in tension. The closing two tracks offer great contrast with ‘Derealization’ being much shorter than closer ‘Self’. ‘Derealization’ didn’t gel with me on first impressions, the clean and harsh vocal lines certainly enhance the songs persona but I found the semi-narrated sequences a little too self-indulgent whereas the closer ‘Self’ is a cornucopia of riffing highlights. I’d even say the band has a slight Opeth touch similar to that band’s mid-era, though not as dense as their riffing and lead work exploits also reminded me of Coroner or maybe Vektor and to some degree UK act Cryptic Shift. I can’t believe how quickly this track whizzed by, mainly due to its continual evolvement where there is a prog rock attitude in places with the band exhibiting utter prowess superbly and whilst I’ve focused heavily on the guitar work, the other instrumentation is equally stunning each complementing the other with supreme ease.

This isn’t an easy album to listen to, like their debut, but the rewards are there for the taking if you choose to indulge in Vorbid’s blazing technical wizardry, and I for one absolutely enjoyed this album, but where the hell will they go from here I have no idea but I look forward to it for sure.

(9/10 Martin Harris)

https://www.facebook.com/Vorbidband

https://vorbid.bandcamp.com/album/a-swan-by-the-edge-of-mandala