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Vulture: Oblivious to Ruin
Vulture Oblivious to Ruin Review

Vulture: Oblivious to Ruin

Misery Metal
3.0/5.0

I picked the perfect day to listen to Vulture's debut album Oblivious to Ruin. The sky is overcast and there's a wet still in the air from last night's passing rain. It's a damp, dreary and cold day, a fitting atmosphere for Vulture's heavy metal.

Vulture Band Photo

Vulture: despair in black and white.

Properly, Vulture chosen genre is doom or sludge metal. Yet misery and despair metal captures not only their sound, but also attitude and inspiration. To their credit, musically speaking, Vulture 'gets' their chosen style. It's plodding and dark, downtuned and downtrodden, a sledgehammer meets the anvil crush of riffage. Motion beyond a thudding or creeping pace is nearly absent. You get the idea.

Then mix the music with lyrics and, damn, Oblivious to Ruin becomes the soundtrack for the Xanax generation. The title track offers, 'lord knows I tried, god damned me a disgrace, left me cursing my life, serpent smile of sincerity, donning slits of misery, poison's prize get the best of me.' Ouch. Put the shotgun under your chin and pull the trigger already. This is not pleasant or inspiring material, but creepy and discouraging. Listen with caution, or at least lock up the firearms first.






In Short

Despairing and despondent, Vulture's sludge metal on Oblivious to Ruin could be the soundtrack for the Xanax generation. This is 'misery' metal with no glimmer of hope within.

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