Vanitas, is a progressive metal band from the UK who have released their latest EP, Journey to the Sun, on August 15th.
They have been described as: “Periphery meets Disney.” The band has been together since 2022. They admit to being inspired by Periphery, Devin Townsend and Dream Theater. Their sophomore EP, Chaos Theory, which was released in August 2024, was well received having garnered over 70K streams. They played the metal festival, Burn it Down, and have received radio play from BBC Radio 1.
Vanitas describe Journey to the Sun, as “A high-intensity concept exploring the themes of adventure, hope, hardship and triumph. Placing the listener as the protagonist of their own chronicle, Vanitas embark on a new journey and are inviting you to join them.”
Vanitas are: Jade Maris, on lead vocals; Mitchell Barlow, on guitar; Elijah Storer, on guitar; Jon Willingham, on bass; and Jackson Cann, on drums.
Journey to the Sun opens with an awesome introduction, “In Absence of Light.” Strings and cinematic orchestration, along with drum salutes, fill the soundscape; as Jade Maris, reads the following: “In absence of light, oblivion can consume. But beyond the void a glimmer of light can be seen. An echo of fates. A beacon of hope. Behind this mask lies freedom. And so a new journey begins. A prophet holds the cards of the future in her guiding hands. A new Union forms; their mission is clear. WE SEEK THE SUN!” It is a Lawrence of Arabia – like opening that you won’t soon forget. Very cinematic. However, the best song on the album, this 1:49 minute song, has played. It is almost all downhill from here.
“Eclipse,” opens with a building powerful metal soundscape, including electric guitars, bass, and drums. The Dream Theater like keyboards and synths warm the soundscape well. Then, Jade Maris sings, “I could wait another life. Stars still won’t align. I’m slowly losing my mind.” Then, the growling and screaming vocals begin, and they won’t end, “I have fought against all odds. Moved the planets, moon and sun. Am I going in circles. Am I on the right path. I’ll never know. If I never go.” My good mood is gone, after all the growling. When Jade Maris sings in her normal voice, all is well. She sounds great. The growling ruins everything. And it takes over the soundscape, unfortunately, more and more with each song.
“Lucid Dreams,” opens with some cool electric guitar riffs. Although Jade Maris starts out screaming, she also sings normal for a while. But then, she screams as the growls get louder and is as if someone threw a pile of mud cover the Dream Theater like music. It keeps trying to find its way out of the blah, but for the next couple of songs it is lost. I can understand Jade Maris’ vocals, but the growling, forget it! I’m actually ready to finish this review quickly.
“Your Demise,” opens with growling, as I fully expected, with that title. After that beautiful album opening this is not at all what I was expecting. Yeah, I could have skipped this track entirely. But Jade Maris voice is so good, hidden underneath. Wish I could hear it more, but this album has turned into a growl fest. A vengeful song full of venom and growling. Does anyone really know what they were communicating? I have a lyrics sheet, otherwise its, to me, inaudible. The music underneath really could be good; if you could hear it.
“Behind the Mask,” has a wonderful, Middle Eastern opening, with great guitar, bass and powerful drumming. Jade sings well. (Give it another chance Mark). Jade sings, “Look ahead into the darkness. Stray from this path you’ll become lost. Between the fog, I catch a glimpse of light. The shadows of my past that lifts the mask. We shall endure in the name of hope.” Yes, endure in the name of professionalism and hope that the growling will stop. Jade Maris screams, but that is tolerable, without the growling. However, there is a little growling on this one as well. But not as much. When the music is not buried under the mud of growls, it sounds very good. This band has promise if they leave behind the growling. The instrumental sections, where Jade sings normal vocals are like a dreamscape. Unfortunately the growls return.
“Journey to the Sun,” is the title track, and I still had hopes for less growling. Jade sings, “Searching for answers we ventured into the void. We fought for our freedom and now we have prevailed. The masks we once used for protection only burden us now. And the beacon of hope grows brighter. Although darkness may always linger, now we know we can face it together. Because together. We will triumph against the greatest odds. And we will shine in the blackest nights. The glimmer of light is stronger than ever now. A cascading golden elixir enveloping everything it touches. The fate of the cards is clear. We seek no further and her guiding hands may rest. As we reach our destination, the sunlight caresses our face, reminding us that maybe we were golden all along…” The lyrics are mostly wonderful to read and hear. This song may have helped save the album.
“Solaire,” the closer. What is in store for us here? Surprise, beautiful piano and Jade singing softly. “Dust off your smile. I know it’s been a while. Since you were here. Pick up your face. It never was a race. To feel no fear. We’ll start again. No need to pretend. I can feel this pain melting away. To see you shine! It’s only a matter of time. And we’ll be waiting. We’ll be waiting!” Thank you. They turned things around, without the growling. Another good metal song of electric guitar, bass, and drums. They close with Jade singing in regular voice, “For the sun! For the sun! Take your time to bask in the light. Now you rise!”
Well, Vanitas’ Journey to the Sun is a mixed bag. Half of the songs are good and have promise. The other half are drowned in the mud of the growls. If the EP had excluded the growls on “Eclipse,” “Lucid Dreams,” “Your Demise,” and “Behind the Mask,” this may have been one of my favorite new bands of the year. However, the growling drowned out what sounded like great musicianship underneath. When the growls were absent, the music sounded like great symphonic, maybe even cinematic metal. They must make a choice to either go with the growl fans and forget the multitudes that ignore growling bands, or stay up with the current metal fad of growling. As I always have said, I have never heard any of the legends of metal feel a need to growl. Hopefully they make the correct decision. I will listen to all tracks on theirs and other albums before requesting to review them in the future. I thought I did listen to three or four, beforehand, but they must have been tracks 1, 6, and 7. Its up to you on this one. If you can get through the growling, this is not a bad album. As I said, I think this band has promise, especially in their cinematic and symphonic moments.
Album Track List:
1. In Absence of Light
2. Eclipse
3. Lucid Dreams
4. Your Demise
5. Behind the Mask
6. Journey to the Sun
7. Solaire
The Journey to the Sun EP was written and recorded by Vanitas and Mike Clinton. Orchestral programming by Matthew Jones at CapsaArx Studios. Mixed and Mastered by Mitchell Barlow. Vocal Production by Ethan Vega. The Solaire music video was filmed and produced by Dark North Media.
Band Website and Social Media Links:
https://vanitasband.bandcamp.com/album/journey-to-the-sun-2
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOZBwsZCAAP
https://www.shazam.com/album/1827357123/journey-to-the-sun
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/vanitas4/journey-to-the-sun
YouTube and Music Video Links:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOgqytOCAvl