ALBUM REVIEW: Silent Future – REZN & Vinnum Sabbathi

When it comes to concept albums, there are a lot of challenges and work to be done to make it a cohesive and understandable narrative through music. A lot of bands don’t attempt them for this reason; the ones that have created concept albums have given us timeless musical operas and epics, most notably PINK FLOYD’s The Wall and PORCUPINE TREE’s Voyage 34. Of course these are individual efforts by single bands, so what makes it even more exciting is when two bands come together and combine their sounds to create a wonderfully vivid and experimental album, which in turn pushes the creative boundaries of both bands. 

This is the case for Silent Future, a cohesive, trippy, riff-filled, astral journey into the furthest reaches of the universe. The pioneering and riff-laden psychedelic journeys created by Chicago’s REZN collide with the slow, distorted riffs and sci-fi film sampling atmospheres of Mexico City’s VINNUM SABBATHI, creating a rich, vivid and hypnotic album with a frequently all-encompassing ambience. Given that REZN have already released their latest studio album Solace earlier this year, it seems their creative appetite is still to be satiated. With the power of ten people behind it, Silent Future is quite a spectacle. 

The first thing that strikes you about Silent Future is how effortlessly immersive it is, within seconds of the intro track you’re swept off on this intergalactic journey and time melts away. Conceptually it is beautifully bleak and melancholic, with a narrative that charts a space crew’s disastrous journey into the outer reaches of space. The music and narrative become more intense as the album progresses, with REZN’s psychedelia becoming increasingly dizzying and dark, whilst VINNUM SABBATHI’s doomy distortion ramps up the ominous atmospheres. 

There is an incredible fluidity to REZN and VINNUM SABBATHI’s collaboration, and it is clear that both bands wanted to push each other creatively. Each band answers the other’s question of how far they can push their individual sounds in a unified way. This is exactly the reason why Silent Future feels so special, as ultimately two bands from either end of the spectrum meet in the middle with spectacular results. The dense, hypnotic ambiences and mournful melodies alongside thunderous riffs are utterly breathtaking.

Alongside this is a plethora of additional effects and sprinklings of spoken word that make Silent Future a cinematic event in your imagination, conjuring up thought-provoking and emotional imagery as this doomed space crew meet their end in the far reaches of the cosmos. The album is eerily ethereal and darkly celestial; REZN and VINNUM SABBATHI elicit a strong emotional response from their listener, especially on Hypersurreal – the song at the centre of the album with its haunting choral melody and the lyrics of “You’re not alone” and “I’m all alone” echoing into darkest voids of space. Unbeknownst to us how they achieved it, it sends shivers down your spine and stirs up a primal fear inside you. 

The album opens up with Born Into Catatonia, a heavenly ambient introduction which is juxtaposed by the record’s more haunting concept. It is here the spoken word talents of Manuel Wohlrab set the scene, as the crew embark on their research mission. This fades gracefully into Unknown Ancestor and Wohlrab sets the scene with a journal like entry to begin the song before Rob McWilliams‘ (vocals, guitars) distinct voice delivers ethereally stunning, melancholic vocal melodies alongside gently swirling psychedelia. The Cultigen introduces the flute playing of Spencer Ouellette, which adds a unique layer to the song as it builds into an electronic ambience. This is a richly layered song that has so many beautiful elements weaving between each other that it lures you into a false sense of security. 

As the aforementioned Hypersurreal comes crashing in the album’s tone starts to change and begins to get increasingly darker. The layered guitars Juan Tamayo, Victor “KB” Velazquez, Gerardo Arias and McWilliams begin to work in tandem to build the tension and drama, whilst the dual bass threat of Phil Cangelosi and Samuel Lopez provide thick and beefy bass tones that drive the songs forward. Clusters is a similar interlude, like The Cultigen, that furthers the narrative but the garbled journal entry creates fear for the crew as they try to escape a destructive life form. Morphing is a groove-laden and frantic track that reinforces this fear and strife; bordering on the boundaries of prog it is simultaneously dizzying and frightening. Album closer Obliterating Mists marks a sad end to the tale; utilising Middle Eastern melodies, you get a sense of being a sole survivor losing all hope and by they end of the song you’re obliterated by a cacophony of thunderous riffs. 

Silent Future is one of those albums that has to be experienced, going beyond the usual realms of a heavy psych album let alone a collaborative concept album. The effortlessly fluid collaboration between REZN and VINNUM SABBATHI is breathtaking and is something you don’t want to miss. 

Rating: 9/10

Silent Future is set for release on August 11th via Blues Funeral Recordings. 

Like REZN on Facebook. 

Like VINNUM SABBATHI on Facebook.