The sixth album in the renowned discography of Vidres A La Sang, and following on from 2022’s Fragments De L’Esdevenir, Virtut Del Desencis (Virtue of Disenchantment) comprises just six, epic-length tracks, showcasing the monstrous power of this Catalonian four-piece blackened death metal band. Hailed as the band’s defining moment – and something to which they’ve been working these last twenty years – the album is underpinned by a nihilistic concept that suggests that the ultimate state of grace is to understand, in your final moments, that you have learned and understood nothing: “let there be virtue in this disenchantment. Let there be a will.”
It doesn’t open on a brutal note. Indeed, Vidres A La Sang know the value of taking their time, the phasing synth that greets the listener on Martirs more reminiscent of Mogwai than Mayhem. Such beauty may be fleeting, but it is welcome, especially as it helps to establish the concept firmly in the mind of the listener prior to the primal battering that must surely follow. With atonal guitars and the remorseless thunder of Jordi Farre’s drums announcing the band, the track goes through one last tumultuous upheaval before settling into the dark groove that underpins Eloi Boucherie’s guttural vocals. Yet, even here, this restless band are unwilling to rest upon their blackened laurels, and what emerges is akin to the epic scope of Borknagar, with tempo shifts, massed clean vocals, and dizzying leads all playing their part in making this a truly epic opening piece.
Having so successfully established the scope of the album, Vidres A La Sang continue to evolve in plain sight, the blackened neo-prog of Sempre Es Incert drawing influence from across the musical spectrum – from Emperor to Pink Floyd, and Jeff Wayne to Thin Lizzy. It’s a remarkable piece, underpinned by jazzy percussion, and shot through with multiple vocal styles, showcasing a versatility that is nothing short of mesmerising. The progressive influences remain on L’Elegia Dels Innocents, which finds circular riffs facing off against harder edged chords and occasional dissonant stabs, making for one of the album’s heaviest tracks in the process, even recalling the epic story telling of Ex Deo at one point.
This devilishly inventive album continues undaunted into the darkness with Capricis De L’Atzar. Returning to the eerie synths of the opening number, and with a riff that could easily be drawn from Tool, it is a subtle, slow-burning piece of music that underscores the remarkable musicality at the heart of this band. When the band do, finally, allow the floodgates to burst, it is for a track that veers uneasily from churning groove to jazz-infused tumult, never allowing the listener to settle for a moment. No such subtlety is allowed to spread into the ferocious Records A L’Oblit, arguably the most traditionally minded piece here, although that does not stop the band from incorporating a sweeping vocal that is almost symphonic in its delivery. This remarkable work concludes with Llagrimes De Sang. Another piece that favours quiet intensity over sonic devastation, it begins with a spoken word intro set to delicate, picked guitar before building in intensity, each riff proving more formidable than that which preceded it. A genuine epic, it is hard to think of a more perfect conclusion to the album, and the listener is left somewhat in awe of this darkly artistic endeavour.
For musicians and music fans, it truly is the best of times and the worst of times. In favour of the former is the fact that bands like Vidres A La Sang exist and care enough to produce music of such insane quality. Make no mistake, this is a remarkable album – beautifully arranged and produced and played with blistering intensity by musicians at the top of their game. In favour of the latter assertion is the fact that bands such as this are finding it harder and harder to find and keep an audience year on year. By rights, this album should have been snapped up by a label with the resources to back a major promotional campaign. This is by no means a slight on the coalition of Eternal Juggernaut Records and Abstract Emotions who released the digipack, but rather a wider comment on the increasing difficulties bands and labels find in making themselves heard above the noise, especially with revenue falling through the floor, precipitated by the nightmare of streaming. In short, this band should be huge. Nevertheless, regardless of its commercial prospects, Virtut Del Desencis is a masterpiece that deserves to be heard, and fans of extreme metal should make it a priority to hunt down a copy and treasure it, because they’ll still be listening long after the latest flavour of the month has vanished into obscurity. 10/10
