Album Review : Umbra Vitae - Light of Death (2024)

You either "get" Converge or you don't. They’re an evolutionary creature that forever changed metal and expanded the horizons of what it could be and that doesn’t always fly in an environment dominated by gatekeepers that insist thing should always be done a certain way. But the fact that I’m talking about them in a review for another band tells you all you need to know. They’ve won the game. They’re here to stay and there’s a lot of Converge to Umbra Vitae’s most recent record Light of Death.

The two bands share much more than just a vocalist.

So yeah, for the uninitiated, Umbra Vitae is a supergroup featuring vocalist extraordinaire Jacob Bannon of the aforementioned Converge, Mike McKenzie and Greg Weeks from The Red Chord, Sean Martin from Twitching Tongues and Jon Rice from Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. Light of Death is kind of a metalcore record, kind of a death metal record too. I feel like the guys vigorously sandpapered the line between both genres and created something that is entirely their own, for better or worse. Gatekeepers be damned.

Are there any iconic bangers on this record? Absolutely. The first one is the hardcore punk-infused Anti-Spirit Machine, which features pulsating guitar riffs and distorted gang vocals. It’s anthemic and fist pumping, but something about its rage and breakneck speed at which it operates is also quite idiosyncratic and intoxicating. It’s more of a song to spin kick someone in the face, than one about singing along if it makes sense. It’s too out of control to be straightforwardly celebratory.

Velvet Black is the other unforgettable cut from Light of Death. I’m not too sure how to properly describe this song. It’s a ghoulish, mid-tempo number with once again gang vocals, but this time it’s used more like an incantation? Even if it’s filtered through a wall of distortion, it breathes power and dread, not unlike Mayhem’s anthem to the living dead Freezing Moon. Alright, maybe it’s a little more contemplative and easy on the iconic riffs but you understand what I’m saying here. You know how it’s going to make you feel.

I thought the opener Leave of Absence makes a great statement for the record too with its trumpet of the apocalypse intro and the seesaw riffs that explore the boundaries between metalcore and death metal. I loved Jon Rice’s versatile drumming on there too. He can take command of a song. Cause & Effect also grabbed my attention with the acoustic guitar intro, the Cannibal Corpse riffs and the monster, mutant breakdown. It’s a long-ass song too that leaves you simmering in its powerful, unpredictable aura.

I don’t believe there are necessarily low moments on Light of Death. It’s one of these albums where song placement has been planned for maximum dynamism. There are more death metal/grindcore influenced songs like Algorithm of Fear and Deep End or even Nature vs. Nurture that felt both gripping with their agression and slippery enough to elude straightforward definition. The melodic solo at the end of the latter was a nice, unexpected touch that shines a different light on Light of Death (pun intended).

There’s a lot of shorter songs on this record that even out the balance of songs even better, like Clear Cutter, Reality in Retrograde and Empty Vessel that give the longer, less conventional songs more room to breathe and express themselves without having to compete with one another. Light of Death ends with Fatal Flaw and the title song, which both inspired, animalistic performances from Jacob Bannon and for-lack-of-a-better-word Convergian guitars? Super aggressive, but jazzy, unexpected breaks.

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You don’t need to be a Converge fan to enjoy Light of Death, but it helps preparing you for the onslaught of ultraviolent vocals, original and unfamiliar riffing and expansive drumming you’re about to hear. Umbra Vitae is a peculiar animal with its own sense of self, but it does really come together with Jacob Bannon’s furious, life-affirming vocal performance. The man is just riveting. Light of Death came out last June and I don’t think it’s been nearly talked about enough. It’s a forward thinking paradigm breaker.

7.9/10

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