The Vital Might

Monday, July 23rd, 2007 

The Vital Might - Obsidian (from Record Reviews)

Sabbath and Sunny Day Real Estate would be proud. The Vital Might channel both bands and go beyond into original territory on Obsidian, a release that reinforces its own urgency and import over 13 strongly crafted and performed songs.

Singer/guitarist Andy Milk, bassist/singer Ben Didsbury and drummer Evan Kraker form a tight unit, able to pull off myriad stylistic considerations without collapsing into pretension. The songcraft is evident: while the band can veer from sustained wall-of-sound bridges to gentle clean chords and rim shot choruses on a dime, all transitions are logical, orderly and perfectly placed. No throwing in a two-measure 7/4 break for the sake of it here. The lyrics are intelligent, evoking themes of internal questions and coming to terms. And the playing? Well yeah, these lads have some chops. At times the playing strays a bit too close to prog-fusion for my tastes. But it’s good King Crimson prog-fusion, not bad Yes or Mahavishnu Orchestra prog-fusion. Just watch it, there; all I’m sayin’.

I wouldn’t imagine throwing Obsidian on the juke at a barbeque, nor would it be a go-to album for date night. This is far heavier stuff; these are songs that demand your attention. One would do well to make time for The Vital Might, however. Obsidian is the work of a tight band playing strong material very well. And that’s about as good as music gets. (Brian Westbye)

Links:
Official Site: http://thevitalmight.com/
Video for “Bird of Black Fire” from Obsidian: Bird of Black Fire