Review: AMPLIFIED MEMORY “Vas Hermeticum”

AMPLIFIED MEMORY “Vas Hermeticum”
Sliptrick records

Munich is huge city, third largest one in Germany. But honestly I connoted it long time more with two football teams (TSV and Bayern) than with Metal scene. Seems I had bad luck and during the period when I edited fanzine I met only one band from there – actually from the urban are, not a city itself, I guess. Anyhow, here we have one becoming from the capital of Bavaria.

It was founded in 2008. But somehow ‘Vas Hermeticum’ is their second release even (and second full-length). It can confuse a little since there were not so many changes in line-up to make impossible work on stuff. However, I’m sure there were some serious reasons for that.

Guys call their creativity Melodic Death/Progressive Metal. Well, these ten songs with diverse length are surely melodic ones. But personally I have doubts if they have a lot with Death Metal to do. Yes, Wolfgang use growling, but this is the only well-hearable sign of mention sub-genre of our beloved music (even if sometimes it connotes somehow with for example Black Metal). Songs’ structure is technically advanced and a little twisted sometimes. This is about both riffs and participation of keyboards or even saxophone. But everything’s based on guitar here, of course. By the way, in “Ammon’s Eclipse” we’re able to listen not only to Wolfgang’s growling, but also singing of some girl. In comparison with other songs this one has quite easy structure and riffs are even more powerful – of course in these faster parts. Drumming is also variable as well and there’re moments when it can’t be connoted with Metal. I hear in music of Germans several genres of Metal and some touches of Jazz or Classical (but more this modern one) Music.

To sum up this is good album for sure. But this is only for open-minded people who like influences of mentioned above genres and maybe unexpected in some way displays in Metal.