Disaffected - Vast

(21 Feb 2011)

For a very long time, I had been searching for music to listen to under the constant assumption that no good music ever comes out of Portugal. "The Horrent Damaskt" from Nigrium Nigrius Nigro is among my all-time favourite songs, but that was about it, until I listened to Disaffected's first and, so far, only album. This one album changed everything. After this, I began exploring the Portuguese music scene with a much more open mind and more enthusiasm, with some very good results too. As for Vast, it has been practically forgotten, and unjustly so.

I was quite reluctant to listen to this album at first. It had no energy. It was stale. It obviously had something there, but it seemed infinitely boring. I was trying my best to get into this album, but for a long time didn't have the patience to do so. I kept postponing the day I would finally try to make sense out of it. And once I finally forced myself to listening to the album and paying attention to it, it started to show its magnificence. I began to notice that the lack of oomph had let the band create a very unique atmosphere: unstable, ominous, insane, but with order. Sort of like a mature and determined Disharmonization.

Each song is unlike anything I have ever heard, despite the use of quite a lot of generic stuff throughout. Everything in the album is incredibly well thought out and the playing is restrained yet interesting. If you're expecting brutality and headbangz, though, look somewhere else, because you'll find this a huge disappointment. Progressive Death Metal it is, but only in the way that it can't realistically be labeled anything else. Vast is an album loyal to its name. The spectrum it encompasses is possibly the largest in metal, whilst maintaining cohesive.

This music is challenging. VERY challenging. This music is minimalistic, yet huge at the same time. This is an album that could have failed miserably but didn't. This is an album that is perfect because of all of its imperfections. This is an album that must be listened by everyone. When I first saw Falconsbane's 97% review of this on Encyclopedia Metallum, I thought it to be bullshit. Now, I understand the gleaming review.

Standout tracks:

The Praxis Of The Non-Being
Dreaming II
Dead Like My Dreams
Desire Me Not
...And Flesh Will Be My Bride