#13 - Top of 2013

Vulture Industries - The Tower (Seasons of Mist)

On the lucky number 13 of the list, we encounter the incredible avant-garde progressive metallers from Norway, Vulture Industries. This is their third album, titled elegantly "The Tower", and is an exemplification of the best elements of the avant-garde Norwegian scene and all its elements as well as a vastly superior record, compared with the last two releases of the genre supergroup, Arcturus. Whereas there seemed to be a lack of inspiration in bands of the genre recently, Vulture Industries have that in spades! What's more, going beyond the fanfare and the lyric hyperbole that all albums of the genre are required to have, they actually have really good songs and excellent rhythms, sounding genuinely outlandish, without having to resort to cheap sound effect tricks. Standout tracks of the album include "The Dead Won't Mind", "Divine Appalling", "Lost among Liars" and "Sleepwalkers", but the album has an overall (in)consistent pessimistic and weird tone that keeps you on your tones making you feel like exploring one of the dark, weird and wonderful worlds in one of the Tim Burton movies. Essential album for all the fans of Avant-Garde Metal and an interesting album for proggers who would like to venture into the dark realms of that genre, due to its accessibility.



93/100

Below are two music videos from the album, Blood on the Trail & Lost Among Liars