BLACK FUTURE

Ah... Vektor, the band that pretty much came out of nowhere and completely rolled over me with their album Black Future!

I've honestly never expected a Thrash Metal act to make such an impact on me considering that the genre hasn't exactly been known for great innovation. Of course there are a few exceptions like Voivod, Sepultura and even Meshuggah. But unlike all of these bands, Vektor didn't start as a pure Thrash Metal band and then slowly began evolving later towards a new style. The band clearly knows how they want to progress with their music and do so with this release.

According to the band members themselves, Black Future is Vektor's first full length release and it's here that the band shows what's they're all about. A nine track album that reaches way beyond the 60 minute mark, which means that there are quite a few lengthy compositions on this release, which in itself is very unusual for the genre, but let's remember that Vector is not your typical Thrash Metal act. The members clearly like to do more than just play short/heavy/upbeat compositions to satisfy the masses; this is a thinking man's Thrash Metal where we get the best of both worlds. Simply an excellent mix between Thrash and Tech/Extreme Prog Metal.

I honestly don't know how to describe Vektor's style any better than I already did and telling anything else might be considered an unnecessary spoiler on my part. If you're an open-minded fan of creative metal music then I honestly don't see how you can go wrong with this release!

***** star songs: Black Future (5:03) Asteroid (6:49)

**** star songs: Oblivion (4:54) Destroying The Cosmos (6:47) Forests Of Legend (10:16) Hunger For Violence (5:30) Deoxyribonucleic Acid (4:45) Dark Nebula (10:28) Accelerating Universe (13:31)

I can't believe this album exists. And I mean that in the best way possible. Despite being released nearly 30 years after the thrash metal movement was in its prime, Black Future comes out swinging as one of the best thrash metal albums I've ever heard, and a standard by which all others could (and should) be measured.

Take one part Testament, one part Slayer, a dash of Metallica's progressive era and some high-pitched vocals and you should have a rough idea of what Vektor sounds like. They sound like they came right out of the early 80s, and Black Future sounds like an album that might have been buried under the Earth, undiscovered for 25 years, until finally, in 2009, it was unleashed upon the world.

It's a glorious album. Right from the beginning, it's just a relentless onslaught of blisteringly fast guitar work, killer high-pitched vocals, and catchy melodies. Their progressive tracks are a welcome breath of fresh air, and add a tremendous layer of depth to this otherwise straight- forward thrash album. But don't take straight-forward as an insult. It's straight-forward in that it follows the archetype of the genre beautifully. Almost sickeningly so.

Black Future easily ranks among the top thrash albums I've ever heard. While nothing will top Reign in Blood (ever), Black Future could easily sit with the big boys and not only hold its own, but compete for the crown. If their 2011 album is even half as good as this, I'll be blown away. If it's better, it might be the stuff of legends.

I'm glad these guys popped up on PA. They definitely add a progressive dash to what is ultimately a thrash recipe, so take that how you will. I rank it a 5 because on a purely musical level, this is top tier stuff. If you like thrash metal, you should love this.

'Black Future' - Vektor (7/10)

As much as I have attempted to explore it, I cannot say that I have been able to decipher- much less appreciate- the trend of thrash metal. There have certainly been bands in the style that I have greatly enjoyed, but as a whole, I cannot understand thrash's fixation with speed and soloing over what I perceive to be musicality, not to mention the fact that so many of the bands seem content to mirror the existing sounds of the style. On that note, I see a world of potential when the aggression of thrash is melded with more progressive sensibilities. Voivod pulled it off beautifully, and now Vektor- a thrash band from Arizona- is taking thrash and going somewhere interesting with it. True enough, Vektor's debut 'Black Future' is not revolutionizing the sounds of the genre by any degree, but the band's greater depth in their composition makes them one of the best greatest bands in the thrash revival movement.

From their logo and album artwork alone, I get the feeling that Vektor is taking after more classic progressive thrash outfits, most notably Voivod and Toxik. The music generally follows suit with this, although there is certainly a drawn influence from the more straightforward acts like Slayer and Exodus. The music is fast and furious for the most part, relying on riffs that immerse themselves in technical finesse as well as a rawer aggression that I sense often in the style. Balancing this out though is a dynamic, not only from heaviness to softer moments, but also in tempo. Often, the band will go from a blistering foray of furious soloing and likeminded rhythms, and then break down into something more atmospheric and doomy. The fast parts are admittedly fairly generic from an instrumental standpoint, but the fact that these compositions are given more than one-gear speed is enough to make Vektor stand apart from most in my books.

Maybe the best thing about Vektor are the vocals, performed here by David Disanto. Leading Vektor with higher pitched rasps, the sheer range that he is able to take his voice into is astounding. With one moment on the title track coming to mind, Disanto is able to create these vast inhales that sound almost inhuman. I do get the impression that the album goes on a tad too long, and despite the progressive tendencies of the band, some of the songs here do feel as if they thrash along a little past what would have been optimal. All the same, Vektor's 'Black Future' is a very good debut, taking the best parts of thrash metal and making an album that is both intelligent and a hell of a lot of fun.

I've never been a huge fan of thrash metal as a genre. I struggle to get through even the most well-received Metallica albums and even the legendary Voivod has left me cold in the past. With that in mind, I wasn't sure what to expect upon first checking Vektor out, but I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised. This music has gotten through to me in a way that very little thrash metal in the past has been able to.

However, don't expect too much of a crossover sound from this album; it's still very much an extreme thrash album. There isn't a single clean vocal to be found, and while there are nods to other styles, probably a good 90% of the album features heavy, lightning fast riffing and thundering blast beats. That said, a combination of excellent composition and the sheer ferocity with which these musicians attack the music keeps this interesting for me far longer than most other thrash bands have been able to.

The title track comes out guns blazing, with a chugging riff aided by some spectacular drumming. The band does a really nice job of varying the sound even while sticking to the same basic pattern, which makes for a nice introductory section for the track. It's not until the vocals come in, however, that the song really gets into full gear. Ridiculously technical guitar riffing and percussion back up the aggressive vocals perfectly, giving the track a very high intensity level without ever coming off as needlessly show-offy. Additionally, the band never sticks with one motif for too long, but everything flows very well and the song doesn't sound overly busy.

"Oblivion" begins with a brief drum solo before launching into a dual-guitar riff that comes off as almost surprisingly melodic. After the two instruments play off one another for a few moments it's back to speed metal riffing, but Vektor prove once again that they have a talent for taking the standard tricks of the genre and making them sound decidedly nonstandard. Riffs morph and blend together and blistering speed, giving the song a surprisingly fluid in a genre that so often gets caught up in a mechanical sound. An instrumental section in the middle of the track only adds to this impression, with a brief foray into a slower, almost gothic section giving the track quite a bit of extra ambience.

"Destroying the Cosmos" starts off on a completely different note, with jangly, psychedelic guitar playing melodically over swirling electronics and ambient cymbal sounds. It's an awesome opening that gives the riffs a bit of extra punch when they re-enter, and the style is reprised later in the song as well to great effect. This is truly thrash-metal that exceeds its genre, something that another surprisingly melodic guitar solo towards the end of the track also affirms.

"Forests of Legend" delves into epic territory, with a 10-minute run time and a variety of styles ensuring the song is far from just your standard thrash fare. With another spectacular, haunting guitar intro that almost reminds the listener of classical guitar, the song sets up a killer ambience very quickly before launching into another extremely harsh section. The vocals attain a level of rawness that I've rarely heard in the past, with the singer's passion coming through very clearly in his harsh shrieks and growls. Musically, the song sounds like a combination of Atheist and Opeth (though this is probably a little more frenetic than both of them), with lightning riffs interspersed with melodic guitar fills. Ultimately, it's that juxtaposition that makes the song so good: I'm not sure if I could have taken full speed guitar riffs for the entire 10 minutes, but the seamless integration of other sounds leaves "Forests of Legend" feeling anything but tiresome, and in fact it ends up coming off as a complete tour- de-force of a song. The melodic, neo-classical guitar at the end is a especially of note, giving the track a nice sense of circularity relating back to the beginning section.

"Hunger For Violence" is another interesting one, with some ominous, almost spooky guitar parts beginning the track before delving into a more standard thrash sound. That's not to say it's bad by any means, though, as Vektor still brings a level of intensity to the track that's extremely impressive. I can't help but admire the precision of the playing as well: to play as fast as they do as precisely as they do must be no small feat. Additionally, there's a slightly slower section in the middle with down-pitched vocals approximating a more classic death metal sound. A lightning fast instrumental section follows and should leave every fan of shredding satisfied. However, there's a lot for your standard prog metal fan to enjoy as well, with extreme technicality and more motif changes then you can shake a stick at.

"Deoxyribonucleic Acid" kicks off with one of my favorite riffs on the album. With a sinister, minor key sound and dark sci-fi lyrics to match, "DNA" is a particularly menacing song that still doesn't fall into the trap of relying on sheer aggression to succeed. There's a ton of musical sophistication here as well, with themes blending and flowing together without ever letting the song's intensity subside. If "Forests of Legend" was the band moving outside of the thrash genre, "DNA" is them sitting firmly in it and showing they can still kick some serious tail.

"Asteroid" falls much into the same vein as the title track, with riffs that are meticulous in their pounding intensity and a seemingly never-ending onslaught of guttural shrieks, wails and growls courtesy of the vocalist. While that may sound decidedly unpleasant to some, in my opinion the sheer gusto with which this group approaches their music makes it enjoyable. Of course, as with all the music on this album, the performance chops and compositional skill are on full display here as well, with nary a boring or slow moment throughout the song's nearly 7 minute duration.

Two long tracks close out the album, with "Dark Nebula" being the first. Starting off with a brief electronic drone before introducing a shredding guitar part over some low, rumbling chords, the song wastes no time in introducing vocals and a variety of guitar fills. "Dark Nebula" shows an excellent sense of pacing as well, with a slightly slower tempo resulting in a much less frenetic feel than some of the other tracks. As this is another 10 minute song, that ends up playing a huge role in the listenability of the song, as it helps "Dark Nebula" come off as measured and deliberate rather than merely hyper and overambitious. There's an excellent instrumental section in the middle of the track as well, with wavering electronics and minor key guitars creating an atmosphere that's highly reminiscent (as goofy as the comparison is) of the old Metroid games. The end of the track brings vocals back and drops the tempo slowly, letting the song slowly fold in on itself until it finally ends with a single distorted guitar drone.

"Accelerating Universe" wastes no time before launching into a slightly downtempo riff that is developed upon for a little while before morphing into a full-speed, galloping guitar part. It's over this that vocals come in, with the singer attaining new heights in his screams and the band playing as quickly and furiously as they have anywhere on the album. However, the band shakes things up considerably by including a heavily electronic, almost ambient section in the middle of the track. It's quite impressively done and it gives the track an incredible amount of depth, especially when it transitions into a melodic, mostly acoustic section which itself slowly develops back into a heavy riffing section that closes out the song and album. The compositional sophistication on display is astounding, and presents final proof (as if it was needed at this point) that Vektor is far from simply another thrash band.

Overall, then, this is a very good album, especially for those who are looking for a bit more ferocity in their progressive metal. Those looking for delicate melodies or extensive genre- hopping won't find what they're looking for here, but for those who love the extreme Vektor should provide a great listen. Though the album runs a bit overlong in my opinion, it's a stellar release and an excellent addition to the collection of any extreme progressive metal fan.

4/5

Vektor is without a doubt a band with a whole lot of potential. From a technical point of view, they are very talented and also diversified. The problem is that they don't have a quite unique sound and remind me of many other bands.

The first couple of tracks that kick off this record in a rather weak and closed minded pattern have a traditional thrash and black metal vibe that make me think of Slayer or Venom without reaching the originality of these two brands that defined the metal scene thirty years ago or so.

The more progressive tracks as well as many lyrics are clearly influenced by Voivod while the melodic guitar solos have a touch of Iron Maiden. The first great tracks are the calmer and atmospheric songs like the slow and slightly soft experiment "Destroying The Cosmos" or "Forests Of Legend". When the band reaches this kind of quality in the song writing, one doesn't care about the fact that they stole some ideas from here and there but this song is rather a very positive exception on this record. These two tracks are full of breathtaking changes, great melodies and energizing blackened thrash vocals.

The last couple of tracks like "Dark Nebula" are though the best ones on this output make me think of the best works of Absu. The epic final track "Accelerating Universe" never gets too boring in over thirteen minutes of running time and shows the whole creativity of the band. These four tracks leave me wanting more and prove that the strong side of the band is clearly their progressive approach and they just need some time to innovate their very own style in this genre to become a true new legend. The other five tracks are good but definitely not very outstanding in my humble opinion.

This band is inspired by many great artists that all fit together and give this record a great flow but they still fail to invent something new. If you already know the mentioned bands above than the only good reason to check this first strike of the Arizonan band out would be the fact that you really like the genre and want to listen this kind of music and filling a gap while you wait for a new record coming from Absu or Voivod for example. The potential is though definitely there, the album is a grower and I will soon try out the band's brand new second try after this promising discovery.

Originally published on www.metal-archives.com on February 25th of the year 2012.

As with the subsequent Outer Isolation, Vektor's Black Future finds the band spicing up their technical thrash metal with influences from black metal here and there. In fact, as the more monochromatic and uninviting cover art suggests, the black metal influence on their music is a little bit more prominent this time around, showing up more not only in the guitar solos but also in some of David Disanto's lead vocals, which tend towards bestial shrieks a little more than on Outer Isolation to my reckoning. Still, what the later album lacks in ferocity it makes up for with polish, which in the case of this particular fusion means it pips Black Future to the post. Jump on this if you really, really love Outer Isolation.

VEKTOR successfully delivers an interesting brand of technical thrash metal in the new millennium by fusing the elements of not only the thrash bands that came before but by also incorporating other styles of metal ranging from traditional, death and blackened varieties. They take what they've heard before and progressively blend it all together and hone their virtuosic delivery making one of the more interesting thrash bands i've encountered in quite a while. Although they have been compared to the tech thrash band Voivod and rightfully so, since both their logo and subject matter is similar in the sci-fi world, the music itself does not sound similar.

VEKTOR employ a ruthless and brutal delivery of extreme metal that means business. Quiet and melodic moments occur and when they do they have full command of the slow and melancholy. VEKTOR have mastered the art of progressive rock in all its mood changes and applied it to a thrash metal context, something that is highly demanding and rarely accomplished in such an epic fashion. This is one of those albums that warrants multiple listens both on the lyrical and musical fronts.

There are many 5 star moments on this album but overall there are some parts that drag a little too much for me and keep this from being an outright masterpiece. This is, however, an excellent debut album that I have been trying to get at a reasonable price for some time and now that it has been reprinted and released again it should be a lot easier to acquire. Looking forward to more from this exciting sophisticated band.

"Black Future" is the debut full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Vektor. The album was released through Heavy Artillery Records in November 2009. Vektor formed in 2002 under the Locrian monicker but changed their name to Vektor in 2004. They released the "Nucleus" demo in 2004 and the album length "Demolition" demo in 2006. The "Hunger for Violence" demo was released in 2007, which was the last demo release before the release of "Black Future"

Stylistically Vektor play a technical/progressive type of thrash/speed metal. It's like listening to the bastard child of Voivod and Destruction. Fast-paced and aggressive thrash metal featuring screaming high pitched vocals. The vocals are obviously loaded with effects and they sound somewhere between Chuck Schuldiner (late in his career) and Schmier from Destruction. Quite frankly they are somewhat of an aquired taste, and personally I think they are a bit hard on the ears and that they are often taken too much to the extreme (a raw sounding Mickey Mouse on helium). It's of course my subjective opinion of the vocal style, and I'm sure others will enjoy the vocals greatly.

The instrumental part of the music is very well performed and the tracks are generally pretty long (three of them over 10 minutes in length) and features complex structures and many intriguing songwriting ideas. This is certainly progressive music. Featuring 9 tracks and a total playing time of 68:06, "Black Future" is a long album, and maybe also a bit too long for its own good. It's not that there's anything on the album which is sub par in quality, but about half way into the album it feels a little like you're listening to the same stylistic elements being used again and again. The vocals don't change much, the riffs are pretty similar on all tracks, and the atmosphere doesn't change much either, despite Vektor's efforts to include mellow clean guitar sections, instrumental parts, and other adventurous ideas.

"Black Future" features a raw, powerful, and well sounding production, which suits the music perfectly, and upon conclusion it's a high quality debut album by Vektor, regardless of my personal issues with the album. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)