Vandallus is a heavy metal band from Cleveland. Their music celebrates the traditional sense of metal, and this is their fourth album. “4” is a very grown and mature effort. Vandallus clearly love what they do; they don’t compromise, and continue to record great albums.
“4” is a collection of nine very well written tracks. The songs are catchy and melodic with plenty of harmonies, and great vocals from Crazy V. Crazy V is also responsible for the majority of this material. The man clearly has a great understanding of music, and how it should sound. The album revokes the great spirit of traditional heavy metal. It feels like these guys just took a time machine from 1982, got off in 2021, and made a great record. There isn’t a big production behind this record. It sounds great. The band was able to achieve something very magical here.
There are plenty of great tracks here. “Parasite” for one really stands out as does “Brainwashed.” The coolest thing about this release is that it feels like an album. It’s great to listen to all the way through. It’s not overly long, just perfect. But don’t be surprised when you find yourself playing it over and over again.
From listening to the songs one thing becomes very obvious. The high level of musicianship that is present here. The sense of melody and harmonies are superb. They even managed to utilize piano and keys in few tracks, and it sounds truly awesome. Great guitar work in the rhythm and lead department, and a very tight rhythm section. At the end of the day it’s all about the songs, and what can be done to make sure they sounds as good as they can. Vandallus knows this well, and it appears to be their main focus.
“4” is a great heavy metal record. Vandallus is definitely a band that deserves to be heard by a larger audience. This album only confirms they are a force to be reckoned with. Could they be metal's best kept secret?
Mark Kadzielawa
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