Review by illusionist for Vektor - Black Future (2009)
Black Future in the Black of Night...One Soul's Solo Flight
I don't freerun too often, mostly because I'm a lazy ass who would usually rather spend an evening watching 5 episodes of Netflix, but Black Future had me going when I threw it on for the first time that one fateful February night in 2016. From the punchy groove of the opener to the building epicness of "Forests of Legend" to the sprawling transcendence of "Dark Nebula", this album - on first listen - gave me one of the most exhilarating adrenaline rushes I've ever experienced.
For ~2 hours nonstop, I stormed around Austin's urban landscape in the black of night while blasting this album's incredible energy. It almost seemed like a soundtrack custom-tailored to my experience. As I sprinted up a particularly steep hill, the crescendo of riffs in "Forests of Legend" reached its climax just before I triumphantly reached the top! The bouncy thrashing of "DNA" as I jumped stones across a river. And so on.
Going in, I was well-aware of the hype it has received from the tech/prog/thrash crowd, but it still managed to exceed my expectations. Vektor harkens to a diverse array of influences, but it is its own snarling beast. Like all genre classics, it builds upon the work of predecessors to form sounds new and original. In delightful contrast to many modern thrash bands, there is no obvious comparison. Black Future is one of those grandiose albums that is executed so beautifully that the momentum sweeps you off your feet as it goes on. Melodic, yet tenacious and primal. Not to mention the ace musicianship. Yet, a common criticism I'm seeing is that many of the songs could be shortened to even further sharpen their impact. I agree with this for the most part. This album has a bit of fat that, if trimmed, could push it to the next level. That said, I'm a hypocrite. The two 10-minute tracks are by far my favorites.
"Dark Nebula" in particular stands out as a legendary song that I will still be listening to many years from now. The traces of black metal extend from just the vocals to all the other instruments as well for this one, and the progressive composition lends itself to a degree of emotiveness I did not expect from Vektor.
All of the time spent, all of the years
All of the moments that led me to this place
What will I do now that I am here?
Riding further into the night
A search to be content with what we are
And to look and find a place among the stars
Desperately, we arrive anywhere
A place we never planned to be...
The way this part played out reminded me of something Primordial would write in one of their sorrowful, brooding hymns like "The Soul Must Sleep". One of the reasons I like to parkour/freerun at night is because there is no one else around. No cars. No noise. Just empty spaces. Eventually the exertions of my body fade into the background and my instincts take over, allowing me to drift into a sort of music-induced introspection or meditation. As "Dark Nebula" guided my journey across parking lots and bridges, those above lyrics really pierced me as I was thinking about my life. Emboldened by the swirling darkness of "Dark Nebula" and the darkness around me, I defiantly decided that I AM content with what I am.
Fuck loneliness and fuck all the people and things I've spent my life longing for. All I need is myself. Me. I. And music like Black Future that allows me to escape on my own from the unplanned places life's journey will bring me. I ran the rest of the way home with a defiant grin. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go freerun to Terminal Redux.