VANISHMENT hailing from Seattle, Washington, were formed in 2020. They play a mixture of Heavy and Thrash Metal. Their sophomore album "And Now We Die" has a length of approximately 48 minutes. It was released via Las Vegas label M-Theory Audio, which has many Heavy, Thrash, and Power Metal bands among their current roster. The album starts with the mid-tempo track "Scared In Fate". The guitar riffs are powerful and tight, while the vocals vary between the medium to higher end of the vocal range with a few distinct tonal shifts. The melodies are catchy and dark, in particular during the break. The break offers an extended and contributing lead guitar solo. "Scared In Fate" is a strong opening track, being an appetizer for the tracks to come. "Darkened Innocence" starts with an epic and dark guitar-driven instrumental part, leading into a fast verse part. The guitar riffing is tight and aggressive and follows classical Thrash Metal riffing. The break slows down to a measured tempo and head-banging rhythm with thunderous guitar riffs, accompanied by the vocals. The pace is then abruptly raised for an extended lead guitar solo right at the end of the track.

"How I Bleed" offers a change in sound as the track is strongly Heavy Metal inspired. The guitar riffs are traditional Heavy Metal riffs at mid-tempo. The vocals are quite highly pitched without many tonal shifts. The break delivers a very melodic extended lead guitar solo. The track is a bit lengthy though and could have benefitted from a bit of trimming. "Steel Demise" has a strong start with flesh-ripping guitar riffs. It is a fast and aggressive Thrash Metal track. Verse and chorus parts are played at one pace and rhythm, where the choruses have backing vocal support, which add an extra layer to the track. The break is relatively short, where the lead guitar solo does not need any introduction."Die In My Shelter" is introduced by a short guitar-driven pre-lude, transitioning into the verse part at a measured tempo. The guitar riffing is powerful, while the rhythm is head-banging. The bridge and chorus part increase the pace to mid-tempo. The break is a mixture between mid-tempo and measured tempo, and the lead guitar solo goes across both parts. There are several lead guitar solos during the track and "Die In My Shelter" ends with an extended instrumental part. "Engraved Under Skin" is introduced by a guitar-driven instrumental part, where the guitars are playful and the riffing is a bit more technical. It is a mid-tempo track with dark melodies and a few tempo and rhythm changes. The break includes more direct riffing accompanied by the double-bass drumming and the vocals, however, there is no lead guitar solo during the track.

"Engraved Under Skin" was released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. After the Heavy Metal inspired "Engraved Under Skin", "Unleash The Storm" switches pace and aggression with tight Thrash Metal guitar riffing. The tempo changes between fast verse parts and mid-tempo choruses. The track is a bit hectic during the middle part as there is a lot of double-bass, but also some blast-beats are present. The break offers a contributing lead guitar solo. "Conviction" has an epic start with grim melodies provided by the guitars at a measured tempo. The introduction takes a little while until the main riff of the track kicks in. The verse parts are mid-tempo until the bridge is a bit pacier. The guitar riffs are devastating and are supported by plenty of double-bass. The chorus parts are quite complex and not easy to follow. The break slows down to a measured tempo for another contributing lead guitar solo. "Ellipsis" starts with the acoustic guitars at a slow tempo and dark melodies. It is the ballad of the album, and it is a relatively short instrumental track. The acoustic guitars have a bit of drum support throughout.

The album finishes with "Ashes And Bone" and plenty of Heavy Metal vibes at mid-tempo to begin with. As the track goes on, the guitar riffing switches to tight and direct Thrash Metal riffs for the verse parts with a faster tempo, while the chorus parts maintain the mid-tempo. The melodies are dark and slightly melancholic, in particular during the lead guitar solo. The solo gives an additional layer to the track and is surely the track highlight. VANISHMENT deliver a decent second full-length album. "And Now We Die" offers an interesting mixture of Heavy Metal and Thrash Metal. The highlights of the album are the guitar riffs and the solos. The mixture of the two genres is a little bit of a challenge, and I feel VANISHMENT might move in one or the other direction in the future. Some of the tracks are a bit lengthy. The album is well produced. "And Now We Die" is perhaps a good album for Heavy Metal fans who are open to fast and aggressive Thrash Metal twists.