When considering the origin of death metal, and especially its early development in Tampa, Florida; few can claim to have made such a consequential impact as that of Morbid Angel. What has since come to be known as the dreary, dissonant aesthetic that truly separated this sub-genre of extreme metal from its thrash metal roots can be traced to the chaotic blend of sludgy riffs and frenzied guitar soloing, blast-happy drum work, and most especially the deep and forbidding voice that would unleash the uncanny opus of darkness that was “Altars Of Madness” upon the masses in the late 80s.
Indeed, one could argue that David Vincent’s blend of abyssal growls and harrowing bass vocalizations set the standard by which death metal came to be known as the 90s rolled in, and consequently, a trail of auspiciousness would surely follow his voice wherever it may choose to hang its proverbial hat.
Though the band that originally accompanied Vincent on his rise to underground fame on college radio, MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball and Beyond is now several years in the rearview for a second time, this Charlotte, North Carolina native has continued blazing trails, with his most recent project being the textbook definition of a power trio and supergroup rolled into one dubbed Vltimas.
Conceived in the mid-2010s and bringing on board the colossal talents of former Mayhem and longtime Aura Noir guitarist Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen and virtuoso drummer of Cryptopsy fame Flo Mounier, this newly codified fold would unleash a torrential downpour of blackened death via their 2019 debut “Something Wicked Marches In,” mixing elements of each member’s prior endeavors into a vicious witch’s brew of sonic carnage that would make a respectable splash despite its marketing and corresponding tour being stymied by the subsequent Covid lockdowns.
Now nearly five years to the day that this union of the extreme metal elite first broke into the market, an aptly named follow-up dubbed “Epic” promises to shake the pillars of the earth again on March 15th. The same blend of Northern European frost, Canadian brutality and old-school Florida mystique has been maintained and further augmented with an even more ambitious songwriting approach that further explores the sonic possibilities of Rune’s mastery of the six-string and David’s Wagnerian vocal persona, to speak nothing for the precision-based frenzy of percussion gymnastic that always follows Mounier’s involvement.
Along for the ride in a studio capacity is live bassist turned permanent member Ype Terwisscha van Scheltinga as Vincent has opted to focus solely on vocals in this project, as well as live second guitarist Jaoa Duarte to further fill out the arrangement. In every respect, Vltimas has proven to be far from a one-off side project for those involved and promises to be the full package on stage in the coming months.
Pre-order “Epic” HERE
While some might have the image of an immortal titan born from the underworld in their heads based on his stage and studio performances, David Vincent is among the most approachable and candid of individuals to reign within the Lovecraftian limelight.
Our contributor Jonathan Smith was privileged to catch up with one of death metal’s pioneering voices, to inquire about Vltimas’ upcoming album, subsequent touring plans, the process of goes on in the studio when putting new music together, and also his thoughts about what death metal has become in the years since its initial rise to prominence in the early 90s. Time was also taken to delve a bit into the early years of Vincent’s development as a singer, as he noted his earliest experiences with music as a youth, how bands like Possessed and Celtic Frost helped influence his pioneering work in the death metal style, and even laughing about how MTV’s Beavis & Butthead critiqued his vocal work back in the day.
It was a good-natured and informative interchange centered around a talent that still has much to offer audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, as the upcoming Vltimas album and tour are sure to underscore. Listen or watch their chat below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, make sure to follow Sonic Perspectives on Facebook, Flipboard, and Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.
