Vektor: Your New Favorite Band
I’m not writing this for any particular reason, other than the planets have aligned and VEKTOR are playing in Philadelphia tonight, which just happens to coincide with the beginning of my stateside trek. Huzzah! If you’re not feeling jelous of me at this point, it probably means you’ve been missing out.
It was late 2009, and I stumbled upon a video review for an album called BLACK FUTURE. Don’t ask me how I got there, I’m just happy that I did, because it got a good review and I decided to check it out. I found this:
…and then I listened to it about 10 times in a row.
I have a thing for prog-tinged thrash, but this album came out of left field and just about gave me a serious concussion. Imagine Voivod playing Black Metal and fronted by a Hawk or an Eagle or something, that’s how I would best describe Vektor. Thrashy parts, Blacky bits and Atmospheric progdom, all perfectly combined to produce way more than the sum of its parts. I kept wondering why these four dudes from Arizona (and not Mars as I first suspected) weren’t at the forefront of the current Thrash scene which was dominated by bands that, although competent, weren’t bringing anything remotely new to the table.
Fast-forward to 2011: I had just started College and was doing pretty well at not getting distracted by extraneous stuff that could potentially make me fall flat on my face and have no choice but to commit Sepukku for having shamed my spotless academic record. November comes around, and so does this:
…and again, I listened to it so much at one point I had to stop because I couldn’t get anything done while I had it on. They somehow managed to (in my opinion) top their debut album and make their songs more straightforward whilst maintaining all the elements that made them unique.
A year later their label went under, they got signed to Earache and subsequently got a slot on one of the main stages at Hellfest 2013; their only gig in Europe to date (I was there, of course). They got an amazing reaction from the crowd and the dude at the Earache merch stand told me that they sold out of Vektor shirts a couple hours after their set. They didn’t play this year, but I saw at least 20 different people with Vektor shirts over the course of the weekend.
I’m stoked that they’re getting more and more exposure, but I don’t think it can ever be enough. If you like their stuff, buy it on bandcamp or a shirt from Earache. And if you get the chance to see them live, DO IT. Stay on the look out for their third album, out next year (one hopes).
