2024 digipack re-issue 4-panel with completely re-designed booklet.
Track 4: "IV" is a cover of "Devilock" Misfits with different lyrics.
Track 10 The Beatles cover!!
The one I am going to review is a very special album, the final release by Italian black metal band "Spite Extreme Wing": Vltra. For those who don't know them, they were an act from Genoa, among the founders of the "Black Metal Invitta Armata"; this album is a concept, seen by many, including me, as the band's magnum opus.
Musically speaking, "Vltra" is not your run by the mill record: while it retains the characteristics of typical black metal, it draws influences from other subgenres of extreme music, such as hardcore and hatecore, which results in an original and fresh sound. The guitar riffing is highly imaginative, aggressive but also melodic, with a characteristic punkish attitude; the bass lines feel almost proggish at times, the drumming is particularly tight and ecleptic, while frontman Argento's vocals fall in between a traditional black metal rasp and shouted hatecore vocals.
The production is quite unique as well: it's meticulously studied, in order to let each instrument shine, while retaining at the same time an almost vintage sound, thus perfectly fitting the music. The songs are usually quite long; the structures tend to be rather complex, while the feelings conveyed can be described as epic and heroic, yet somehow melancholic.
The themes of the album deal with right wing politics, but especially esothericism and philosophy: they are well studied, rich in metaphors and sung in Italian. They define the concept and the main theme of the album, which can be described as a sort of heroic struggle towards an absolute ideal, that sees its full realization only through iron will to power and total devotion of the self. For those willing to embrace the hardships of this journey, the reward is a higher state of being, immortality granted through the grandeur of one's heroic deals in life.
"Vltra" is a real work of art, a monumental spiritual testament conveyed through excellent musicianship and inspired songwriting. If you're looking for unique and original black metal, this one is an absolutely recommended listen.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=q11vN2eKNSg
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=NF0QckykU_Q
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=uvyq_Ri3uZo
