Vektor - Demolition
Self Release
Thrash Metal
8 songs (48:20)
Release year: 2006
Reviewed by Crash
Archive review

Ah, god dammit I love Vektor. This Phoenician four piece has finally gotten somewhat of a spark in the underground with their excellent Black Future. I also happen to have the undisputable self given title of the ultimate Vektor historian. Why? Well, I luckily grew up with lead guitarist Erik Nelson and have been there since day one of the band.

Before friends Erik Nelson (Guitars) and Adam Anderson (Drums) joined the band, Vektor was nothing more than a couple of demo songs on Myspace. They were rough cuts, done almost completely by frontman David Disanto. Hearing the even at the time impressive mix of technicality and speed, the boys gave Disanto a call and made the band a reality. Bassist Mike Tozzi soon joined the fold and they started to terrorize the Arizona underground. These were some great fun shows. My first Vektor show was opening for thrash legends Hirax. That must have been 2005, looking back. I saw the group play at least two dozen other times, whether it be in a shitty club or opening for Sonata Arctica or Iced Earth.

Only Nelson and Disanto survived the road to Black Future, which is ultimately for the best as bassist Frank Chin and drummer Blake Anderson are a perfect rhythm section, but it was still quite interesting. Through these early years, they released their first full length Demolition.

Most of you haven’t heard this album. In fact, I’m not even sure if it’s available for purchase anymore. All that I know is that if you loved Black Future then you can’t deny yourself of some more of the same great futuristic thrash metal.

Two songs from Black Future were first released on Demolition, being Oblivion and Destroying the Cosmos. For the most part they sound identical other than the drums. Previous drummer Adam Anderson had a looser and jammier style than what thrash metal is accustomed to. Rather than blast beats and double bass, Anderson prefers to just settle into a groove and go with it. Does it work? For the most part, although it is painfully obvious that Blake Anderson pushed the band into the direction that they needed to go.

The real treat are the songs that didn’t make it Black Future. Ask any Phoenix Vektor fan about Venus Project and you will surely get a smile in return. The song fits in perfectly with the rest of their material and still stands as one of the oldest Vektor songs, harking back to the old Myspace demos.

My personal favorites ended up being two of the band’s most overlooked songs. Fast Paced Societies is about as straight forward of a track as the band had ever made. Little effort in the prog department is made and the band insists rather to just thrash out on eleven. Erik Nelson’s downward chromatic run towards the end of the song is still to this day the shining moment in the Vektor catalogue. Tetrastructural Minds is the exact opposite. A complete dose of prog wank, the band refuses to succumb to the old cliché’s of thrash. Rather than tuning down or just jerking off the E string, the band tunes up to F standard. If that isn’t enough, most of the riffs are played from the higher strings meaning that the heaviness can only be created by the riffs and the execution without aid from low tuning.

The one song that I am still divided by is Moonbase. The longest song on the cd, it also is the mellowest. Anyone that has heard their latest material will know that they have no problem with ten minute long songs, but this was their first attempt at writing an epic and for the most part they succeed. It doesn’t hit all of the stops, but when it locks into a groove it kicks some serious ass. While I do hope that Fast Paced Societies and Tetrastructural Minds someday are brought back to the recording studio, I think that Moonbase should stay where it is. It’s a nice little nugget for any of the devoted to find, but isn’t exactly one that needs to be played live or have a major release.

I personally found Black Future to be the best thrash release of the decade. In many ways it reminded me of Images and Words. Not in sound mind you, but in scope. It was a record that either meant success or complete failure. Luckily they succeeded. Demolition doesn’t hope to live up to that. In reality it was meant to be another demo, but they recorded so much material that they just released it as an album anyway. So while the production isn’t great, the band doesn’t play as tight, and the song selection isn’t as diverse, it’s a treat for anyone who can’t wait for their next album. If you are lucky, you might even be able to find a copy.

People have accused me of being a fan boy simply because of my great friendship and experience with the band. I can full fartedly say that this is not true. I have had plenty of friends in metal bands and have participated in quite a few myself. Not a single one has touched the music. I always asked myself whether or not I would be as big of a fan if I didn't know the band. I probably wouldn't. I would simply be a huge fan rather than a ginormous one. It makes me feel good seeing them go from empty basements in 2004 to filled basements in 2010. Rock on, brothas.

Killing Songs :
Fast Paced Societies and Tetrastructural Minds are the reason to own this!
Crash quoted 84 / 100
Other albums by Vektor that we have reviewed:
Vektor - Outer Isolation reviewed by Bar and quoted 94 / 100
Vektor - Black Future reviewed by Goat and quoted 87 / 100
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