Vectom - Rules of Mystery (1986)

The second time out, Vectom were down to just one pointy hooded figure on the album cover; its eyes glowing and its hands offering you a skull libation of blood, wine, or whatever their shared fantasy would allow (though it seems his fellow cultists might be off in the distance to the right, I am not sure). However, don't let this ritual reduction fool you into believing that the finished product is inferior to their debut Speed Revolution, because that is not in fact the case. This album, Rules of Mystery, is cleaner and more refined, with more of a leaning towards melodic, memorable chorus parts and effective riffs instead of just endlessly jabbering on about Satan over mediocrity that only made Destruction and Iron Angel look better by comparison.

No, Rules of Mystery is far from perfect, and in fact I wouldn't even qualify it as very 'good', but I would be lying to admit that it didn't evoke more headbanging moments than its predecessor. This is no Hellish Crossfire, and no Reign of Fear, but it definitely channels a similar aesthetic that fans of either might appreciate, at least in the better songs. "Prisoner's Back" is one such gem, a straight forward speedster with rumbling drums, airy production, wailing, accented vocals and cutting solos. Had the rest of the album retained this general level of fortitude and quality, it would likely remain a cult classic. But from this point on, the standouts are few and far between. "Metallic War" has a nice bounce to its trotting riffs, but "Outlaw" feels like a sloppy attempt at writing an early power metal hymn ala Running Wild. "Caught by Insanity" is an attention grabber with its atmospheric, backing chant vocals, and the dingy, opening guitar melodies, but its not solid through and through, and the finale "Evil Run" seems like it will build into something impressive, but doesn't really pan out.

Still, despite its consistencies, I'd take this over Speed Revolution any day. It's not as lethal or aggressive sounding, but the songs feel more distinct and better up to the task of contending with the band's mighty peers, who were at this time releasing albums like Zombie Attack, Pleasure to Kill and Reign of Fear and securing their positions in metal infamy. Vectom were obviously not at the same level, but I get the feeling that had their career continued beyond Rules of Mystery, they might have had something of worth to offer. Alas, the brief legacy ended here, before their prime, and at best this is the sort of album one might turn to if they're craving that authentic German speed of the mid-80s, before the dawning of tech-thrash monsters began to shift the entire landscape to something more divine, and mindless of its lack of truly memorable tunes.

Verdict: Indifference [6.25/10]

http://www.myspace.com/vectomband

Vectom - Speed Revolution (1985)

When the cover of your debut album consists of three inverse-KKK looking evil dudes with pointy black hoods, I feel a justification in expecting a lot, but a lot is not what Vectom deliver with their Speed Revolution, which might be more appropriately titled Speedbump Satan Revolution. By 1985 standards, surely the trails they blaze here would have felt more novel than today, but the sad fact is that this record doesn't hold up whatsoever. The riffs are extremely blase even by 80s standards, with fast rushing chords that do little else than drive the scruffy vocals of Christian Bucher, which are strangely enough the best thing going for this.

One thing I found pretty strange about Speed Revolution is the band's fascination with 'Satan' in just about the most generic means ever. They use his name in as many lyrics they can muster, so the album feels like some sort implausible Paradise Lost of thrash and speed metal. I suppose the three occultists with glowing eyes on the cover should have tipped me off, and I realize that the topic is quite common in extreme metal, but with Vectom, it feels a little forced. These guys have little to do with the devil, clearly, so when they're spouting out songs like "In Nomine Satanas" or "Satan's Colours", I just wasn't convinced. This isn't Slayer, closer to early Sodom in tone, but while the theme sufficed for Angelripper and his team, it feels artificial here. Fabricated. Nonetheless, the lyrics actually provide for some rather unintentional moments of humor on the album, and yeah, fight for Satan and all that.

When it comes to the actual riffing, I am most reminded of Tankard's Zombie Attack, though Vectom had the drop on that album. The two bands have the same fast, frolicking sense of fun in the compositions. I could very easily imagine Gerre singing over "Damned Love", "Open the Coffin", or "Too Fast for Hell", only Bucher does fine with it, his choppy accent and aggressive throat almost always the focus, as sloppy as they oft become. A few tunes like "Black Viper" and "Day of Execution" are more reminiscent of Destruction, but it's pretty much endlessly fast, with even the few slower riffs picking up to the same traipsing pace. The individual quality of the guitars is consistent, with Horst Gotz and Stefan Kroll occasionally pelting out brief flurries of leads ("Satan's Colours" has a decent, extended solo), but ultimately the construction just isn't there. No epic breakdowns or effective escalations into the chorus segment are found anywhere; it all just rambles along, with no surprises and no inspiring structures to speak of.

Certainly, Speed Revolution gives you that 'authentic' feeling found only through Germany in the 80s, but nostalgia is just not enough here to push it over the edge. No impetus whatsoever to ever listen to this over an Endless Pain, Zombie Attack or Obsessed by Cruelty, and totally no reason to pay attention when you had classics like Hell Awaits or Ride the Lightning coming out overseas. The cover image is pretty cool, the vocals sound good and abusive, but it all feels incredibly similar to an aircraft, all fueled up, which never leaves the runway. Nothing offensive or awful about it, but you're not going to pay to fly this baby off to thrash utopia when there were far better rides available.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10] (you never see the light)

http://www.myspace.com/vectomband