Review: Cranial Vortex – Infinite Interactions
A Cosmic Rebirth, or a New Beginning?
From 2018 to 2023, there was a little-known project called Vredensdal, spearheaded by Mikael Vredensdal—the project was an American take on classic black metal, or as the man himself dubbed it, “New Wave of USBM.” And for that 5-year period, Vredensdal was a prolific entity, releasing 4 LPs and 2 EPs and getting some buzz in underground circles around the world as well as a co-sign with Soulseller Records, home of Gorgoroth and Sarke. Suffice to say, the project had good momentum, and since most of us were locked at home with nothing to do at the start of the decade, finding a project like this was easy enough, and the music itself was also good if not great, especially for people into the more thrash-driven styles of black metal.
However, in 2023 the project was put to rest by The Goblin Reaper himself, who quickly began working on this new project. Moving on from black metal, Mikael decided to experiment with old school deathrash and even some prog and psychedelic to create something unique yet familiar. And so Cranial Vortex was born!
Since now you’re up to speed with the history of how this project came to be, exactly how did this pan out? Well, it is as it says on the tin, deathrash metal through and through, with complex riffing, double bass drums, guttural shrieking and brutal breakdowns. Some may be impressed, others not so much. On that latter part I do have some criticisms, while the overall execution is good, and as someone familiar with the preceding project, there’s a lot I enjoyed, but I can also hear the usual pitfalls many debut albums sometimes fall into—namely the sense of uniformity. The record’s sound and identity is very distinct, and I’ll elaborate further shortly, but there are brief moments where the album feels one-note or the songs blend in with each other in certain areas. It’s not a fatal blow or deal breaker, but it is a crack in an otherwise solid foundation with plenty of room for improvement and refining. The production is also a bit wonky, and while I usually don’t mind production if the overall final product is good in terms of performance and songwriting, the sound is a tad digital. Not sterile or insipid, but you can tell this is a studio-only endeavor, at least at the moment, but again, not a deal breaker.
Anyways, if the issues of the project amount to minor wrinkles and at worst nitpicks or a matter of simple preference, where does the project truly shine? The guitar work, for starters. If you’re familiar with Vredensdal, you know the man can shred and his riffage is excellent, and that is still the case here; while thrash metal is still a core element of Mikael’s sound, Cranial Vortex does feel like a progression and evolution, at least when it comes to the thrash metal of it all. However, this is deathrash, so the jump into death metal was also organic, and the dude definitely knows his stuff. You can hear the influence of mid-era Death, Voivod and Obituary, but also some of the melodicism of Carcass. However, where this project truly shines, and the most unique part, is the progressive rock leanings and even some light psychedelia.
Given the project’s space and cosmic aesthetics, having a proggy side could be considered a no-brainer, and the album certainly opens with an appropriately spacey and ominous effects before the riffing starts in full. Though I have to clarify that most of the psych influence can be heard in the melodies Mikael employs, there’s an off-kilter quality to some of his melodies that felt, for lack of a better word, Middle-eastern influenced? Similar to how bands like Mastodon or Baroness like to incorporate elements of Turkish prog vibes, so do you get the brutality and complexity with some flair, and coupled with the space rock effects and ambiance, the whole of the music is perfectly captured by its artwork of a skull-shaped nebula.
Overall, Mikael Vredensdal definitely succeeded in creating something truly unique and of his own making, and barring some minor wrinkles here and there, there’s enough good to make you look forward to whatever Cranial Vortex brings next.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Infinite Interactions is out now!
