Burial Vault – Unity in Pluralism (Apostasy Records)

Sunday, 9th August 2015
Rating: 8/10

Latest in the ‘that came from out of nowhere’ line is Germany’s Burial Vault. Unity in Pluralism is their third full-length album, though admittedly this is the first exposure that DR has been privy to. Another case of a band that’s not so easy to pigeonhole, Burial Vault provide a number of soundscapes for the listener to explore as they move through Unity in Pluralism.

The safest bet for a quick identification here would be melodic death metal, though admittedly more akin to later Hypocrisy than In Flames. Truthfully, there a bit of a distinct Hypocrisy vibe to several of the tracks on Unity in Pluralism. The almost gloomy, melodic riffs of the opening track, “Adopted Creed,” are the first glimpse of this as are some of the lower register vocals. “LSD (Liquid Crystal Dementia)” also returns to this vibe with greater tenacity (complete with some subtle keys), and the mid-paced riffing has an anthemic quality to it. The band has a real knack for melancholic, yet catchy riffing (check out “Tempestas” – complete with some spoken word vocals), and faster moving tracks like “Hostility in Disguise” and “Return to Point Zero” serve to add some additional diversity and keep the body moving. Burial Vault are also adept at adding some acoustic guitars into the mix, which is best evidenced by “The Desired Destination (Seeking for I),” which keeps to the more atmospheric and also uses some emotive clean vocals.

The nice thing about finding a band three albums in is being able to quickly check out and absorb their back catalogue, which should be the case for anyone who checks out Unity in Pluralism. Keeping some significant variety in their melodic death metal (which never really heads too far into the Gothenburg direction, but a rather heavier one) should benefit the band as they continue to evolve. This is a band that needs some more exposure!

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