VIGILANCE is a Speed/Heavy Metal band formed in 2010. Hailing from Slovenia, they bring a western European influence on the music. They sing entirely in their native language. They've previously released four full-length albums and one EP. The new, self-titled EP was released on October 21, 2022, via Dying Victim Productions.

The opening track, "Na Krilih Noči (On the Wings of Night)" is a fairly standard rocker at first glance. It is pretty fast and has a great rhythm, but what sets it apart from some of the more common songs is their harmonies on vocals. The drum patterns are pretty complex and technical, showing some pretty awesome skill from the player and the songwriter. The bass tends to gallop along with the riff, more in line with NWOBHM, so it makes sense that VIGILANCE is placed in the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal realm.

"Roka Pogube (Hand of Doom)" has a nice guitar opening that brings in the other instruments one by one over the first eight or ten measures. It is an interesting way to kick of a song, one that is not used as much anymore, giving it a bit of a throwback feel. This track has filtered vocals in the background making an eviler sound, thus the darker tone of the guitars.

The next track opens with a cacophony of sound. All the instruments crash simultaneously, waging a war on the senses. There are leads and fills all over the place, creating a wild ride right from the start. "Veliki Briljantni Valček (Great Brilliant Waltz)" is an instrumental that definitely shows the skill of both playing and writing excellent songs. It has an IRON MAIDEN feel in some spots, mostly in the way they use the bass throughout the track, but also in a few of the shifts the song takes. It is very well done.

"Arbogastov Plamen (Flame of Arbogast)" opens a bit like "Where Eagles Dare" as far as the drum roll in, but that is where the similarity stops. The song is completely original after that. There is a killer groove to this song, especially with the guitar leads running throughout. The church bells add some interesting, almost fantasy-like tones to the track.

Wrapping the album is "Orbis Mundi (no translation)." At just under seven minutes, this is the longest song on the disc. It has a medieval musical theme with a few almost futuristic tones thrown in from the keys, giving a sense of not knowing what direction this track could take. It is set on Modern Rock for the main body of the song. The riff and leads are again really good. The tempo and phrasing shifts in this song are borderline Progressive Metal.

There is a broad swath of genres influencing this group of talented musicians. The most obvious is NWOBHM, but there is a lot more to this album than meets the ear. At first listen, it is mostly a groove type album, but there is a lot of subtle work going on. One pass through will not allow you to hear everything you need to hear, you have to go through it a few times on loop, then step away and come back for more looping. Only then can you really appreciate what all they've built into this record.