VASILISCK was formed by Vadim O. Davidson, an avid extreme metal fan, dedicated to the black arts. With a vision to create a new, original, dark, intelligent extreme metal project, Vadim started putting pen to paper and pick to string and ended up with a spiraling abyss of extreme manifestations in the form of: Serpentis Regalia. This first ever release, is a blend of barbarous destruction, bone chilling desolation, and maliciously intelligent music. Two tracks spilt into 7 different movements, this album is a mystical addition to any dark-souls domain.

Track 1 Serpentis Regalia setting your stereo ablaze with funeralesque keyboards, blistering drum action, and raspy high pitched vocals. Despite the vocals being turned up a bit too much in the mix the album itself is an inspired musical assault. This one-man band is most obviously not a drummer, the use of a drum machine is quite obvious in this mix; however, don't let that stray your mind away from the real treat. Putting you in a dark state of mind, the keyboard melodies are very reminiscent of old horror films. The first thing I thought when I heard this nearly 10 minute opus, I thought immediately of the film Nosferatu. I haven't seen that film in quite a long time, but these tracks give you that eerie feeling that someone is lurking in the shadows. Moving on to track 2 From The Depths Of The Swamps (in 6 movements), this track is a bit more straightforward and it seems the guitars were turned up a bit more during this mix too. Overall, the music itself, despite being hard to hear under the vocals, is quite insightful and melodic. My only real problem with this album is the vocals; they need a little more work. It sounds like he is trying to hard to achieve that "black metal" sound and not focusing on what his vocals will allow him to do without straining himself. After about 15 minutes, the mix gets to be a little repetitive sounding, although that’s not the case at all. Anyone who loves black metal or extreme metal obviously holds it dear to their hearts; however, we have heard it all before at least 12 times reincarnated into several different forms under many different quires. And I'm not saying anything bad about this release, but undoubtedly, I have heard this all before. The sonicscapes on this record are very imaginative and thoughtfully melodic, putting you into a very desolate state of being, which was the intention in the beginning. I give this project an A for imaginative insight, B for giving me the willies a few times (just kidding), and D for production.