Vultures Vengeance is a rising force in epic metal, drawing inspiration from legends like Cirith Ungol, Manilla Road, and Brocas Helm. Hailing from Rome, the band formed in 2009 and made their mark with a demo and two EPs before releasing their critically acclaimed debut album, The Knightlore, in 2019. The record garnered praise across the global underground metal scene. Now, they return stronger than ever with Dust Age, their first release under High Roller Records, poised to solidify their place in the epic metal tradition.

Tony T. Steele, guitarist and singer of the band, explains what happened with VULTURES VENGEANCE after the release of The Knightlore in 2019. “We recorded Dust Age in October 2020, but in the meantime, Covid had arrived, and we had to cancel many shows around Europe. So we decided to wait because we wanted to play live after the release, and we had many problems with the line-up because Tony L.A. and Matt Savage decided to quit the band. The research for a new bass player and a new guitarist extended the time for the release of the new album even further.” He continues: “The album was recorded with the old line-up, except for the drummer, Damian. We recorded it at the 16 Cellar Studio in Rome, and after that, we worked with Marco S. Vermiglio of The Forge studio in Sweden for the mix.”

Steele doesn’t see the new album as a direct continuation of The Knightlore. “I think the approach is different, but at the same time the mark of VULTURES VENGEANCE is totally recognisable and not so far away from what we have done in the past.” According to him, The Dust Age is “the vision of a future world in ruins as a consequence of the modern world.” He explains in more detail: “The lyrical themes are different for each song, and they are all allegories of a vision of the modern world told through imaginary tales of war, slavery, corruption, and power. If you share these visions, it wouldn’t be too difficult for you to interpret the lyrics.”

“My favourite track on Dust Age is ‘City of Thousand Blades’ at the moment,” he continues. “It is actually really old; we have been playing that song since 2009 during rehearsals.”

VULTURES VENGEANCE has earned a reputation as a standout epic metal band, drawing clear inspiration from iconic acts like Warlord, Brocas Helm, Cirith Ungol, early Manowar, and The Lord Weird Slough Feg. Frontman Tony T. Steele openly embraces these influences, acknowledging the band’s deep connection to this storied lineage of heavy metal greatness. “I absolutely love all these bands that you mentioned, and I can say that they are a heavy influence in my life, but I would call VULTURES VENGEANCE simply a heavy metal band. I think that the word ‘epic’ only refers to bands who create an ‘ancient’ atmosphere in their music and imagery.”

Review

Dust Age says hello with big rung out guitars, skipping bass and drum patterns before we are thrown into speeding rhythm work that feels like you are shooting through the sky at light speed! The thrashy drums go nicely with the lightning guitar work and some off the stuff that is going on makes me thing “how on earth do they play like that!” There is a lot going on here and really hits you hard! Around the 4 minutes mark it strips back letting things breathe a bit before it goes into this brute of a stroll. Then once again all hells lets loose with guitar notes that rocket past you in a flash.Epic stuff indeed!

Queen of the Last Light straight off the start line feels epic as hell! Big tom hits and spiralling majestic guitar work that feels like a royal joust. It is a slow but hard hitting track that somewhat feels at times drenched in sunlight. I think maybe its down to the guitar tones, the use of reverb that perches the instrumentation magnificently in the soundscape. The solo is absolutely divine glistening in the light before the pace of the song picks up for a moment. The whole song to be honest has loads of awesome lead guitar work that breathes air into your lungs!

Those Who Sold The World explodes with a big “tappy tappy” guitar intro, before a big riff barrage hits you in the face. Drums and bass notes helter skelter through out and like the last track it has a lot of enormous sounding lead guitar work that plays between tempos. Tony T Steele’s vocals latch to the music extremely well making that a cherry on the cake. Considering this is only the third track in, I am loving the album so far. I guess the only thing I find annoying the snare sound but maybe its a drummer thing! The “tappy tappy” guitar fire and fury comes back for a brief moment to take out the song.

Reign of Severance wakes up with nice slow guitar scales that have a delay effect ringing off into space. I must say one thing is love about this band apart from the epic writing is the production. It is is raw and unpolished and i think that it just adds to their sound. I can imagine this being lifted right out of the 80’s. Reign of Severance continues in grand fashion delivering mood and passion. It has rhythm work that drives right through you, while the solo guitar work is simply like fireworks. The band are not afraid to get creative and I just think the two Tonies are just guitar magicians!

Wow! The intro of City of a Thousand Blades is absolutely colossal. It feels like your approaching royalty in front of an elegant and enchanting castle perched of the side of a mountain or hillside. Think like the one from Lord of the Rings at a Distance. This track is again a mix of paces with harmonised guitar work that sways and swings. I love the flurries of guitar riffs and how Tony T Steele literally digs deep putting on a magnificent vocal performance.

The Exiled like the tracks before feels like an almighty journey. Everything from the drums and bass to the guitars and vocals work so well together. At this point I feel like I can say that one of the standout highlights of this band is the insane guitar work. No two seconds are the same in this song and I think goes for everything else that has come before. The Exiled even has some metal screams and of course more whizzing guitar work that just feels so incredibly exciting. Love it!

The Foul Mighty Temple of Men opens pummelling your face with a huge snare roll before your blown back by dazzling guitar shredding that feels like gale force winds. The song just shoots along with quick picking and sometimes a break in pace to give you a moment to sit back and soak up more epic guitar work. The only thing in this song that I could not get use to was the choice of vocal harmonies but everything else was killer. There is one section where everything breaks down to a calmer and more gentle vibe. A lead guitar sings sweetly through the air and space sometimes being joined by the other and then builds up and up reaching height. That section abruptly fades leaving wanting more.

It Holds brings us to the end of the album. This time we are welcomed by some acoustic strums and moving soft strings to begin and Tony T Steele brings his vocals down to a lower level compared to the mighty delivery in previous tracks. Though soon enough the drums of Damian and bass twangs of Matt come rolling in along some ballsy rhythms and shooting leads that squeal of the rolling drums. Though this brief and returns us back to the acoustics soon enough!

Conclusion

What more can I say? This album is an absolutely epic! Vultures Vengeance have crafted something truly exhilarating and awe-inspiring. The guitar work throughout is mostly nothing short of phenomenal, bordering on the insane at times—it’s hard to imagine they didn’t have bleeding fingers after some of those riffs and solos! Words like “majestic” and “magical” barely do justice to the sheer grandeur of some of the work on this album. The raw and oldskool feel of the production elevates it even further, amplifying the larger-than-life sound and encapsulating the pure essence of true heavy metal. Simply put, this is a record that demands to be experienced.

TheNwothm Score: 9/10

Line-up:
Tony T. Steele – Guitar and Vocals
Tony L.A. Scelzi – Guitar
Matt Savage – Bass
Damian Rage – Drums

Release date: 21.02.2025

Links

Bandcamp:https://vulturesvengeance.bandcamp.com/music

Label: https://www.hrrecords.de/