Bitter Piece - Vastyrion Rising

Bitter Piece

Vastyrion Rising

by Witch Wolf at 04 March 2013, 4:04 PM

BITTER PIECE hail from Deutschland, and came together in 2004. Two years later the band released their debut EP entitled "Hell’s Asylum". After quite some time, they now return with this very heavy-hitting full length release entitled "Vastyrion Rising". For me, after becoming rather jaded with many Metal releases lately, this came as an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

The first song, “Impact”, is well titled as it does indeed leave one upon the listener. It begins with riffs that any old-school Thrash Metal fan will be able to appreciate. The vocals, courtesy of Mariano, start off like a call to battle, and then escalate to a more extreme style. This was definitely a commendable choice for the opener. The following track, “I Seek Revenge”, shoots to the fore with more fast-paced music, this time, accompanied by vocals with a hardcore edge. When he claims to seek revenge, it sounds as though he means it! Yet, add to all this hostility, some genuinely memorable melody lines and you have another truly remarkable song. Two other tracks that really stand out to me are “Sun’s Eruption” and “End Of Days”. Certain aspects of the music in “Sun’s Eruption” give a vague reminder of SLAYER’s “Black Magic”. Not a profound reminder, but there is something slightly reminiscent that I can’t quite pinpoint.

That being said however, BITTER PIECE does not sound quite enough like any other band for any close comparisons. That’s a good thing. You may hear hints of their likely influences, but they have the ability to standalone. “End of Days” is a another whirlwind thrashing masterpiece inspiring fist-in-the air, head banging unity once minute; a frenzied wall-of-death circle pit the next. While I’ll pass on the pit, I can imagine that seeing a BITTER PIECE live performance would be a formidable, yet positively impressive experience.

Mariano’s vocals vary between rough, yet clean, to furious screams and growls. He is quite adept at all the vocal forms he employs. The rest of the band pull their weight as well with relentlessly intense riffs and drums that get the adrenaline pumping. Add to that the sharp bass and precise and clear guitar solos and you have the forceful unit of BITTER PIECE. With prolific musicianship and well mastered songs, there are no weak links here.

This is a very solid release that I would give a stout 8 out of 10 rating. If you don’t feel like head banging while listening to "Vastyrion Rising", you just might be dead. Check your pulse! With their rapid-fire assault of pure Metal, Bitter Piece is sure to re-inspire your faith in the beauty of brutality.