Review Summary: Convincing reverberations
It’s been a hot minute since death metal has had um…
anything to talk about, especially in regard to the realms in which the likes of Blood Incantation reigns supreme. Forgive the name-drop, but comparatively speaking, Lunar Chamber’s EP is worthy of mention within the same purview. That’s probably praise enough for
any death metal band emerging in the scene, and yet
Shambhallic Vibrations is a steadfast example of a band’s music that has the potential to push boundaries, accommodating a clear, organic sound and more than enough audible bass to leave even the most jaded of death metal fans with their respective jaws on the floor. Perhaps one day, they might even be held in the same reverence to the mainstays mentioned above.
That said there’s an air of incompleteness to be found within
Shambhallic Vibrations’ impressive depths. Considering the format, it’s a given. After all, this is a new band simply testing the waters of something greater. The titular introduction arrives nonchalant, a building wall of atmosphere and melody…and then it cuts out, abrupt. Momentum choked out in favour of starting “Spirit Body and the Seeing Self” cold turkey. Call it a teething moment, but to say the transition from one to the other is “rough” is an understatement. Even the interlude, unneeded as it is for an EP that doesn’t exceed thirty minutes of material, just pops in and out of nowhere; twinkly ethereal cinematic filler. Out of place. Underthought. Unneeded.
But that’s where most of
Shambhallic Vibrations’ issues start and finish. There’s so much to unpack during the EP’s three other, more traditional tracks. “Spirit Body and the Seeing Self” reaches far past the lo-fi twangle entry notes, akin to Sweven worship on a lighter scale—before a more impactful, caustic, broiling riffs intertwine with audible pops off bass. Angular death metal aesthetic breathes sci-fi life while guitarists Brandon J. Iacovella and Kyle Walburn use up every tenacious fret at their disposal. Further down the set list, “The Bodhi Tree” continues to lay down thick grooves and ferocious guttural roars. A nod to the old-school revival while being firmly rooted in the explorative nuance that is all of “III. Crystalline Blessed Light Flows... From Violet Mountains Into Lunar Chambers”. This is where Lunar Chamber should be spending their time. Long weaving forays through different eras of death metal (noticeably the likes of Cynic and Demilich) while firmly grasping an atmosphere range between the cinematic and downright science fiction. The track itself even twists away from the perceived norm of “heavy music” choosing instead to insert clean vocals and contrasting moments of quiet.
In looking towards the future, and more specifically to the culmination of an eventual full-length Lunar Chamber need to focus on their exploration, rather than cater to piling on nothing introductions and quizzical interludes. Don’t get me wrong: the musicianship in these sections are top notch, but they lack the songwriting awareness here.
Shambhallic Vibrations itself is promising, not only for this up-and-coming act but also for the potential of where this band may be able to take this genre if they really knuckle down on what’s important. Should the need arise for another EP before a proper, genre-defining long play I’d ask them to try their hands at a single twenty-five-to-thirty-minute track—making everything cohesive front to back, ensuring that their brand and ideas
work.
Largely,
Shambhallic Vibrations’ biggest selling point is the obvious potential and the listeners’ want for whatever they happen to release in the coming years. If this is the case, Lunar Chamber should gain a swift mainstay of loyal fans and eventually a larger respect in an already oversaturated genre. The balls in their
chamber.
