REZN & Vinnum Sabbathi: Silent Future (Album Review)

Release Date: August 11th 2023. Record Label: Blues Funeral Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Silent Future: Tracklisting

1.Born Into Catatonia

2.Unknown Ancestor

3.The Cultigen

4.Hypersurreal 

5.Clusters

6.Morphing 

7.Obliterating Mists

Members

Gerardo Arias: Drums, Percussion, Lead Guitars

Phil Cangelosi: Bass

Patrick Dunn: Drums

Samuel Lopez: Bass

Rob McWilliams: Guitars, Vocals

Spencer Ouellette: Synths, Sax, Flute

Juan Tamayo: Heavy guitars, Synths

Roman Tamayo: Additional FX

Victor “KB” Velazquez: Additional Guitars

Manuel Wohlrab: Spoken Word

Review:

Silent Future is the new album from Psych Doomsters REZN and Cosmic Doom/Stoner Metal masters Vinnum Sabbathi. This is an actual album and not a split release with both bands forming as one collaborative unit which explores the thrilling sounds that both REZN and Vinnum Sabbathi are known for. Silent Future is a cinematic based journey which offers a monolithic style of Doom/Stoner Metal visionary grooves. 

The atmosphere is constantly spaced out and one that offers genuine world-building Progressive grooves which drift between Post-Rock and Post-Doom heaviness which can be quite dreamlike and surreal in places with the majority of the songs allowing both bands to drift into areas of music they haven’t played before which you feel within the excellent two opening tracks of Born Into Catatonia and Unknown Ancestor. REZN’s style of Progressive Doom/Stoner Metal works amazingly well with Vinnum Sabbathi’s more Spaced Out sound with the music still being very grounded in reality. The Ambient flavours have an aura of 1980’s Gloomy Rock and then leaning towards 1990’s Sludge/Post-Metal heaviness. 

The vocals from REZN’s Rob McWilliams belong mostly in the Post-Doom environment but he puts in a virtuoso performance here with flashes of Alt Rock and Prog Rock appearing throughout the record.

Silent Future sets a new benchmark of what collaborative albums from the Doom/Stoner Metal scene should actually be measured against. As it’s full of soothing Ambient Instrumental moments that is blissfully hopeful one moment and devastatingly heavy the next which is perhaps down mostly to Vinnum Sabbathi’s masterful style of Cosmic Doom/Stoner Metal which comes more into focus on the epic fourth track Hypersurreal.

Though REZN are no slouches in the HEAVY VOLUME department either with their own blistering style of music perhaps having a more restrained approach but they know how to make an entrance when the time calls for this style of music. 

With the later stages of the album adding a more focused Psychedelic and Progressive based Electronic/Ambient groove, Silent Future still takes risky creative choices that sound remarkably fresh and original on tracks such as Clusters, Morphing and Obliterating Mists which is perhaps where the bulk of the heaviest sounds remain. There is still that wicked “WORLD BUILDING” aspect to the record that still makes you wonder where the album goes next.

The album is backed up by wonderful production values and allows Silent Future to be an exquisite and must-have album from two of the scene’s most inventive bands which will no doubt only enhance their well deserved reputation within the Doom/Stoner Metal Underground Scene and beyond. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR and Red Lead PR for the promo.

Silent Future is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Blues Funeral Recordings.

REZN Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Vinnum Sabbathi Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

REZN and VINNUM SABBATHI to release collaborative album "Silent Future" on August 11th via Blues Funeral Recordings; stream first single!

Blues Funeral Recordings present the next chapter of their acclaimed PostWax series, with a fully collaborative album between Chicago avant-garde doom outfit REZN and Mexico City instrumental cosmic metallers Vinnum Sabbathi. "Silent Future" will be released worldwide on August 11th, with preorders and the first single available right now!

Listen to REZN and Vinnum Sabbathi's new track "Hypersurreal"

On Silent Future, Chicago atmospheric psych-doom outfit REZN teams up with Mexico City cosmic conceptualists Vinnum Sabbathi for a true union of heavy exploration. Allowing themselves a fluid, open canvas to experiment, members of both bands contribute equally to create an album of lush, hypnotic and frequently megalithic ambiance, yielding an utterly cohesive trip into the riff-drenched astral reaches.

About this collaborative album, REZN comments:  "Ever since we played a show in Mexico City with Vinnum Sabbathi, we knew we wanted to find an opportunity to incorporate their cinematic style within the REZN soundscape. The Postwax creative concept helped guide us into making an album that stands out from the rest of our catalog, which was a really refreshing challenge for us. After the songwriting flowed freely, we intentionally left space so we could collaborate together on each song and explore the many shades of psychological cosmic horror." 

Vinnum Sabbathi adds: "We feel honored to be part of the Postwax series with this special collaboration with our Friends Rezn, the creation of “Silent Future” gave us the opportunity of experimenting with new ways of composing and recording, but also adding our own touch to the concept with the use of samples and this is very well represented in the first single “Hypersurreal”.

 

The fluidity with which REZN and Vinnum Sabbathi collaborate is unlikely, yet inarguable. Strong nuclear forces conjoin sections as alternatingly ethereal as celestial light and dense as a black hole collapse.  Ultimately, the endeavor is never limited to being one thing for long, any more than it is limited to being the work of a single band. More than a listening experience, Silent Future’s vitality extends beyond the aural. This is the work of two groups pushing themselves further than they’ve gone before, each answering the other's question of how far they can ultimately go. As heavy as Silent Future gets, as distant as it may range, one cannot regard this righteously thick, molten-tempo journey into the unknown as anything but breathtaking.

"Silent Future" will be released worldwide on August 11th in various vinyl formats, limited digipak CD and digital. The ultra-limited deluxe vinyl edition will be shipped in June to PostWax Vol. II subscribers. Preorders are available now on Blues Funeral Recordings.

REZN & VINNUM SABBATHI "Silent Future" - Out August 11th on Blues Funeral Recordings

Preorder now on BFR website - Bandcamp - EU store

TRACKLIST:

1. Born Into Catatonia

2. Unknown Ancestor

3. The Cultigen

4. Hypersurreal

5. Clusters

7. Morphing

8. Obliterating Mists

Album lineup:

Gerardo Arias: Drums, Percussion, Lead Guitars

Phil Cangelosi: Bass

Patrick Dunn: Drums

Samuel Lopez: Bass

Rob McWilliams: Guitars, Vocals

Spencer Ouellette: Synths, Sax, Flute

Juan Tamayo: Heavy guitars, Synths

Roman Tamayo: Additional FX

Victor “KB” Velazquez: Additional Guitars

Manuel Wohlrab: Spoken Word

The seed for Chicago quartet REZN’s megaton riffs and psychedelic journeys was planted when guitarist Rob McWilliams and bassist Phil Cangelosi began jamming at age twelve in the DC commuter town of Leesburg, Virginia. Relocating to Chicago in 2015, the pair recruited local sound engineer Patrick Dunn to bash on the drums, and, after playing just three shows together, set about recording their molten amp-worshiping debut LP, also inviting their friend Spencer Ouellette to round out the bottom-heavy sound with the hum and squall of modular synth.  Several albums and experimental releases later, REZN has forged a unique style of heavy music by molding disparate textural and musical elements into a shimmering, pummeling cohesion of crushing mass, cosmic weightlessness and lysergic calm.

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Formed in 2012 in Mexico City, Vinnum Sabbathi merges loud, slow and distorted riffs with samples from science fiction and science fact, transmitted to listeners through heavy jams and hypnotic transitions. Across two EPs, four split releases, two albums and a live session, this hyperdimensional foursome's singular goal is to create powerful interstellar soundtracks to both earth-originating and space-born cosmic events, via both studio recordings as well as live outings across Mexico and Europe.

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About the PostWax series: The PostWax vinyl subscription series presents exclusive limited-edition records from some of the best stoner rock, doom and heavy psych bands on the planet. Benefiting from a spectacular success in 2018, PostWax Year One debuted monster releases to subscribers first — including Elder's "The Gold & Silver Sessions" and Lowrider's seminal comeback album "Refractions" — which were subsequently released in standard retail versions to the public several months later. PostWax II will unfold as a series of 9 deluxe releases on gorgeous vinyl, next-level sleeve design, hand-crafted art and illustrations, and behind-the-scenes liner notes, with releases from Dead Meadow, Acid King, Dozer, Josiah, Dopelord, Mammoth Volume, The Otolith, REZN & Vinnum Sabbathi, Lowrider & Elephant Tree.

 

BLUES FUNERAL RECORDINGS links

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Blues Funeral Recordings announce REZN and VINNUM SABBATHI for new PostWax Vol. II series; Kickstarter for subscription signups live now.

Blues Funeral Recordings announce REZN and VINNUM SABBATHI for new PostWax Vol. II series; Kickstarter for subscription signups live now.

Hot on the heels of the Acid King and Josiah announcement, Blues Funeral Recordings reveal Chicago's REZN and Mexico City's VINNUM SABBATHI as the next two bands to take part in the second volume of their PostWax vinyl subscription series, this time for a special collaborative release.

The joining of REZN's gargantuan heaviness and lysergic dreamscapes with VINNUM SABBATHI's hypnotic and jammy superscience soundtracks is the exact type of aural mind-meld that PostWax was conceived to present. These two avant-garde outfits will deliver one massive and ground-breaking effort, one that has chance to make an impression among heavy music lovers and beyond.

REZN guitarist Rob McWilliams elaborates: "Our intention is to give this collaboration a solid REZN foundation with Vinnum Sabbathi providing the cosmic textures and atmosphere to align it all under the same sonic storyline. We've been talking about doing something together for a little while now, since our bands are a great match sonically and already sync up in a lot of ways. In the end, we'll have a roasty REZN dish with a decadent Vinnum Sabbathi glaze."

VINNUM SABBATHI guitarist Juan Tamayo adds: “For us, this collaboration with REZN is very special. From the day we played with them in Mexico, we knew we wanted to create something together, and being able to do it with Blues Funeral for the PostWax series is a great privilege. We can't wait to make something truly unique by adding a story to the sonic landscapes, and all the fans are in for some cosmic epicness.”

The PostWax series present exclusive limited edition records from some of the best stoner rock, doom and heavy psych bands on the planet. Benefiting from a spectacular Kickstarter success in 2018, PostWax Year One debuted monster releases to subscribers first — including Elder's "The Gold & Silver Sessions" and the seminal comeback album "Refractions" from Lowrider — which were subsequently released in standard retail versions to the public several months later. PostWax Vol. II will unfold as a series of 9 deluxe releases on gorgeous vinyl, with each record including at least one exclusive track only available to PostWax subscribers, also featuring next-level sleeve design, hand-crafted art and illustrations, and behind-the-scenes liner notes by JJ Koczan of The Obelisk. The first PostWax Vol. II release will be delivered directly to subscribers in the summer of 2021.

=> Get more info and subscribe to PostWax Vol. II at this location

About REZN

The music churned out by Chicago quartet REZN somehow manages to convey both crushing mass and cosmic weightlessness. The seed was planted when guitarist Rob McWilliams and bassist Phil Cangelosi began jamming together at age twelve in the DC commuter town of Leesburg, VA. They relocated to Chicago in 2015, recruited Patrick Dunn to bash on the drums, and set about recording their debut album 'Let It Burn' after playing just three shows together. Spencer Ouellette rounded out their bottom-heavy sound with the hum-and-squall of modular synth, and the added textural component immediately became a key facet to their sound. REZN quickly established their footing in the heady-and-heavy Chicago rock community, playing with esteemed riff barons like Bongripper and Oozing Wound, as well as landing coveted slots for Conan and Acid King. The 2018 sophomore album 'Calm Black Water' continued the band’s penchant for molasses-thick guitar-and-bass punishments with soaring minor key vocal melodies, but Ouellette further pushed the dreamscape envelope by supplementing the synth duties with blissed out saxophone passages. REZN’s newest offering 'Chaotic Divine' continues their melding of gargantuan heaviness and lysergic calm, as well as the band’s penchant for tying the music to a visual landscape.

About VINNUM SABBATHI

Formed in 2012 in Mexico City, Vinnum Sabbathi merge loud, slow and distorted riffs with samples from science and sci-fi to create a unique sonic experience. From 2013 to 2016, the band released two EPs and two split albums, but it's their 2017 debut album 'Gravity Works' (LSDR Recs) that really caught the international scene's attention. Their space-themed doom traveled from Mexico to the Old Continent's shores, leading them to play at Bristol Psych Fest, Doomlines and Sonic Blast Moledo. Between 2018 and 2019, the band released two more split records including 'The Good Earth is Dying' with Cegvera, also playing shows with Red Fang, Rosetta, Rezn and Truckfighters. Early in 2020, their sophomore album 'Of Dimensions & Theories' sees the light of day and slowly but steadily proves that science, space and riffs belong together, leaving an elephantine trail for their works to come.

Blues Funeral Recordings is an independent label created by the founders of MeteorCity and Lowrider, and releasing music from luminary artists in the heavy/stoner/doom/psych ecosphere. While issuing stellar albums from Domkraft, Howling Giant, Lord Buffalo and Somnuri, the label has also gained attention through PostWax, a groundbreaking subscription-style series of lavish custom releases featuring exclusive music from Elder, Daxma, Spotlights, Lowrider, Besvärjelsen, Big Scenic Nowhere and Domkraft.

BLUES FUNERAL RECORDINGS LINKS

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REZN LINKS

Website⎮Facebook⎮Bandcamp⎮Instagram

VINNUM SABBATHI LINKS

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