Review: “Dread Within” EP by Vault

Recorded at Ladyleusa Studios, in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil in 2019 and Produced by Rafael Guedes, “Dread Within” marks the first Metal endeavour for Brazilian quartet Vault. Having started out as a Grunge act in 2015 and releasing a demo, single and split with Sadartha, Bruno Romero (bass, vocals), Henrique Pereira (guitars)  Davi Romero (drums) and Breno Costa Eloi (lead guitars) decided to take the road less traveled as 2017 came to a close and start a new chapter, while keeping their name.

Moving from Grunge Rock to Metal isn’t the huge stylistic leap that some might think and it has been done before. There certainly isn’t anything wrong with Metal bands including some Grunge Rock influences in their sound, Cane Hill do it with Alice In Chains as just one example. “Look Again” is a gallop through Stoner Sludge Metal riffs akin to High On Fire with an old school vibe to it while also having some modern fixtures and fittings including a bright solo in classic style towards the back end. The mix harks back to mid 80’s Metal and is bass heavy, something that is evident more on “A Look Back“, which has a classic chord progression and some barked clean vocals from Bruno Romero. A classic wah-wah pedal solo appears in the final third and what you’re left with is a fine mid tempo chugger.

The second half starts out with “Mind” which has plenty of mid tempo chug to it while lacking a little bit of bite in the guitar tone to set the atmosphere alight. What it doest however have is a Trivium esq lead part that builds into the best solo on the EP that showcases more of Breno Costa Eloi’s talents than the previous pair of tracks do combined. Maybe it’s just that this one lends itself more to epic solo. The name “Nosferatus” usually refers to a Vampire or Dracula character and Vault harness some inner early career Megadeth to bring the song to life with some Thrashier leanings on this one. There is a distinct formula with “Dread Within” with each song having a final third solo and this one is no different. The quality of the recording is purposefully dated and that works well with the bands sound, something more obvious as the final track “Overcome” hits. It could be a track about the new challenge of taking the band from Grunge to Metal, certainly the lyrics fit that aspect of the bands storyline. Riffs a plenty, it graces the EP as a stand out moment [7/10]

Track listing

1. Lost Again
2. A Look Back
3. Mind
4. Nosferatus
5. Overcome

“Dread Within” by Vault is out now and is available over at bandcamp