VILE – The New Age Of Chaos

2005 is a year when metal is in a stage of transition, we’re in the dawn of a new age of metal bands and styles seamlessly blended to form new and inspiring music.
Many bands are finding that shamelessly ripping off their peers just doesn’t cut the mustard… they fall away into ‘debut album obscurity syndrome’.
Some bands persevere and stick to their guns, relying on their hard-core fans to accept the regurgitated tripe they turn out.
Some bands, like VILE plainly do not care about any of the above and just continue to evolve, albeit slowly and delicately…but nevertheless, they evolve.

Since their inception in 1995, VILE have blasted out some great moments with some of the catchiest groove-orientated riffage known in the US underground metal scene today.
Once a well kept secret, now I believe they might just on the verge of kicking off what we always knew VILE could do…Dominate.

Once again led by writer/producer Colin Davis, VILE have evolved once more within their self-styled metal mash-up, adding more blatant (and welcome) elements of ‘black metal’ with the tried and tested VILE groove. (And when it’s grooves…it really GROOVES…)
It’s quite an awesome proposition when it works…
Here-in lies the small problems, it does work…but only in places on their new album The New Age Of Chaos.
There are some true moments of glory that made this writer stand up, turn the volume right up and commence’ moshing’ about my living room…

I’ve been a fan of VILE since I heard a song from their demo on a Relapse sampler many moons ago, the blatant death metal was good, but they had the groove that some bands miss or refuse to acknowledge.
Being a fan of the band, who have gone through some hideous line-up problems and still come out smelling of (dead) roses, I was hoping that Colin and company would step up and overall, they have… just about.

As mentioned before, there are some glorious moments with riffs and tempos shifting brilliantly, classy solos soaring beautifully over the chaotic percussive batter and bass work.
Prime example with the outro-riff to Suicide Warfare… prime VILE with a great groove.
The opening salvo of Devour (with its huge brilliant BM riff section) and the follow-up track Deafening Silence are primetime VILE…and I for one welcome it.

The production is great once more, with even more clarity than before on the whole sound, the guitars come through superbly and you can hear all the little sections that your supposed to hear, even when VILE are ‘blastbeating’ along quite happily.

The only problem I found with the album was it didn’t quite carry on the magic of the opening five tracks, it just ‘petered out’ and left me feeling a little bored by the time I reached the strange (and welcomed) outro song…

Overall The New Age Of Chaos is a great metal album, fans of the band will love it…if you don’t…you can go kill yourself…Because it’s a fine slab of brutal metal.

I look forward to the next evolution of VILE, seeing this material live and I’m praying for another brilliant evolution…