Birmingham based Cinematic Djent 5-piece Vanitas are ready to drop their first EP, titled Vanitas this week. While the band only formed in 2021, they have their roots deeply spread across the West Midlands music scene with members of Verb the Noun and Aramantus building an incredibly strong line-up. I always love hearing releases from new, young bands, so let’s jump straight into this 4-track EP.
Up first is the band’s first single, Ghostly Coast, a 7-minute-long Djent epic boasting insanely tight musicianship, great vocals that constantly build with the track, alongside a gorgeous symphonic backing that builds into a JRPG final boss fight score that just gets me hyped every time I hear it. Breaking Illusions is up next, and the second single for the EP. Starts with a classic Djent riff before bringing in some beautifully haunting clean vocals that fit the song’s theme of the stages of grief perfectly, with a chorus that erupts with emotion and shows the band’s talent as songwriters.
Up next is Carry On, a slower, emotional Prog styled track I can only describe as if TesseracT wrote an anime opening, with some amazing drumming and bass work that complements the vocals and guitar effortlessly. Finally, we have the release title track, Vanitas. I truly believe that this song is lyrically based on the character the song, EP and band are named after from the Kingdom Hearts series, which instantly makes my inner child happy, but outside of that, Vanitas works as an incredible closing track that once again shows just how damn talented the band are as musicians.
Vanitas is a truly breath-taking debut EP, that manages to sound completely fresh thanks to the heavy use of orchestral soundscapes to create these moments of beauty and emotion across the 4 tracks. If you like Prog, Djent or JRPG soundtracks, this EP is a must-hear and Vanitas is a band you should keep a close eye on.
Vanitas arrives this coming Friday, June 3rd.
Review: Dan Stapleton
https://www.facebook.com/vanitasbanduk