Chuck Schuldiner Project

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Vrsa - Cvlt Of Machina

This is a really cool and truly weird one. Vrsa is the kind of band who play by their own rules and expand their sound worlds in ways that makes sense only to them. This is not a band who conform to your silly standards but rather who develop out of massive compositions and who balance dark with light. While the songwriting isn't necessarily as mature as it needs to be quite yet we certainly see the band moving themselves well beyond many of their peers in the progressive metal realm. They are so much more willing to be weird it's hard not to love. 

There is a girth to the music here that I think is important not to ignore. The breadth of the sound is impressive and despite the prevailing chaos of this music, Vrsa do a really good job of making their music distinctly fascinating without compromising the sheer absurdity. Sure I would like to get a little more clarity, but part of the magic of this album is that it can be as scatterbrained as the album art. This is an inherently challenging thing and it reminds us of the simple poetry that this kind of music can have. Understated and elegant, Cvlt Of Machina is a sonic journey, a short one, but a journey none the less. 

I'm sincerely curious to see how the band develops from here. This is an EP that brings a lot to the table and makes you ask questions about the fundamental nature of the prog metal genre. Vrsa have a sound that feels like it could be constantly expanding, but this record is a fitting taster for a group who can't help but to expand. Cvlt Of Machina is a solid step in the right direction for these Connecticut prog stalwarts and they have a future that could beget more questions than answers, and I like that. 

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