VESANIA is a polished black stone in the realm of extreme Metal; essentially a supergroup of prominent Polish musicians of bands like BEHEMOTH, VADER and DECAPITATED, for the past 7 years, they have been somewhat inactive; Orion and Daray busy with their respective bands. However, 2014 sees their glorious 'return' to the metal world, with the darkly monumental "Deus Ex Machina". May it serenade you in its grim majesty.

It is no wonder that members of this caliber bring such music to the table; there's no point trying to compare them to anyone, "Halflight" taking me by complete surprise. Admittedly, I had not listened to this band in a while; Orion shocked me as a vocalist, having known and been inspired by his bass work for many years. The man is capable of powerful, harsh, blackened utterings. "Symphonic Theatrical Black Metal", if I were to go totally overboard; that is what I feel like I am listening to. Balancing heaviness, subtle atmospherics, evocative screams and chord progressions of pure majesty; that is the crux of this album. The theatrics come to the forefront in tracks like "Disillusion" and "Dismay", by a thread, the album's best material. The previous focussing on a riff-based approach, less on the technical side and almost comically colorful, it's actually quite ingenious. Prominence of synth and clean vocals in this track does well to highlight the record's excellent production, that allows for multi-textural dynamics.

The latter, "Dismay", was instantly my personal favorite, the track seemingly built around prominent, orchestral samples, adding soaring depth to each and every chord struck. Even Orion's screams feel more operatic in this track, as ridiculously contradicting as that sounds. As it progresses, we're treated to moments of furious aggression, and transitions into bass-heavy groove and glorious, technical precision. "Disgrace" sees the album in full-force, shining-leather, Symphonic Black Metal mode. Easily the fastest and most aggressive track, Daray's famously precise drumming is at the forefront, filled out by plentiful, blistering tremolo riffs.

Even when I deliberately try to look for them, I can not seem to find a 'bad' Polish extreme Metal act. They simply do not exist; equally masters of the aggressive, the blackened, the heavy and the deadly as their peers, VESANIA have made what I expect will be an extremely well-received return to new material.