Track Review: “115” by Vanitas

After we shared a review of their brand new single “Wait And See“, for the second part of this weekends Vanitas creature double feature we’re getting into our DeLorean and heading back to Halloween. Not for the first time, the Cinematic DJent pioneers, who are known for their nerdy love of JPRPGs, took the opportunity to put their spin on something from a video game soundtrack. Celebrating the release of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 they took on Elena Siegman and Kevin Sherwood’s “115“, this time with guitarist Mitchell Barlow handling orchestral programming as well as mixing and mastering instead of their usual go to Matthew Jones at CapsaArx Studios…

It’s no secret that Vanitas have been getting progressively heavier with vocalist Jade Maris embracing adding unclean moments to her impressive repertoire, however that doesn’t mean they’ve traded them for any of their more melodic moments. Instead they’ve found a middle ground in which they combine their Cinematic DJent sound with other elements to make it bolder, braver and sharper. This rendition of “115” is a continuation of that with the heavy guitars embellished by orchestrations which don’t over power but enhance, building the atmosphere as if the setting was a Christopher Nolan movie. DJent rhythms are overlayed with stunning lead work, all delivered at a neck snapping speed that captures the energy of their live show like lightening in a bottle. Expanding upon the original is how they have made it there own instrumentally, making it sound fuller and well rounded. It’s the metaphorical equivalent a boxer bulking up to enter a higher weight division. The rhythm section sounds huge and in all honesty, the untrained ear wouldn’t notice that Barlow had mixed and mastered instead of Jones. The cut sounds just as magnificent as the rest of their discography. Lyrically this one is actually the perfect fit for the narrative that Vanitas have been offering in recent times, something which means that Maris is able to provide some emotive quality in her vocal performance. She makes the track her own by switching between delicate clean vocals and empowering harsh ones effortlessly, the tale of death and destruction on that you can tell she’s having fun with. By way of comparison with the original, vocally Elena Siegman’s sung parts are almost operatic, which Maris does well not to mimic. Another punchy, aggressive tune with plenty of style and substance, this one has the ability to drag to into the Vanitas realm kicking and screaming. It’s a treat, not a trick and will do down well in their live set, should they so desire… [9/10]