It’s fair to say that Vesania could be described as a black metal supergroup, featuring past and present members of Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Vader, and Decapitated, but they have been fairly quiet in the past few years – fourth album Deus Ex Machina is the first offering from the outfit since 2007. Has it been worth the wait? Well, yes and no.
It certainly can’t be denied that this is a good album. It features plenty of substantial songs and the instrumentation is particularly good with the band sounding tight and together. The vocals are versatile and Orion can switch between harsh and clean styles effortlessly without the song suffering as a result. A real high point is Dismay, which seems to have drawn in ideas from other genres as it’s a rather proggy-feeling number and really stands out from the crowd.
However, it just feels like there’s something missing. As mentioned earlier, it’s a good album, but it’s just not a great one and the majority of the songs just don’t have that special sparkle. Vesania are certainly able to go the distance, especially when you consider the other bands the members are a part of, but they just haven’t quite reached the heights they’re perhaps capable of, and it’s a shame because Deus Ex Machina could be so much more.
6.5/10
