Back in January, VORTEX UNIT released their debut full-length album "The Bringer of Sun." The band had formed way back in 1996, but after a few name and lineup changes, they resurfaced with their current name in 2011. VORTEX UNIT comes from Slovakia, not particularly known for their metal scene. Hopefully, this album changes that.

VORTEX UNIT would best be categorized as progressive death metal. Songs flow right into each other, which helps this 45-minute album not drag along. The drums and guitarwork are all fantastic. Vocals are a mix between clean vocals from Siren and growls from Anguis. Siren's vocals range from ethereal highs to soulful midrange vocals. The combination of her highs and Anguis is similar to what you might find with symphonic and gothic metal bands that employ the "beauty and the beast" style of vocals. While Siren's high vocals are great, I'm not typically a fan of symphonic and gothic metal, so I much prefer her midrange vocals.

"Into the Saturnine Realm" begins with some acoustic singing from Siren. A decent, aggressive death metal riff accompanies the "beauty and the beast" style of vocals found on this song. That combination is not bad, but it's been done. What is notable is the bassline and instrumental sections, such as the guitar solo and outro. The first track leads right into the titular "The Bringer of Sun" with a drum fill. String instruments make a brief appearance here. Siren's high vocals over the technical instrumental section in the middle fantastically contrast each other. Her folksy singing towards the end of the track is also unique and worth mentioning.

The instrumentation of "I Speak with Verity" and "I and My..." mixes technicality with death metal very well. However, I am not sure Siren's singing is a good match to the instrumentation. Both tracks sound like a melodic death metal track and a R&B track were mixed together accidentally. The soulfulness of her tone is at odds with the riffage happening in the background. That being said, take my criticisms with a grain of salt, because like I said previously, I'm not typically a fan of symphonic and gothic metal.

"...Creations" is an instrumental track. I've said this before, but instrumental tracks can be great ways to show a band's musical prowess. This track certainly shows VORTEX UNIT's technical skills, just like "The Cruise of Sanity." All tracks lead to the monumental closer "The Fall of the Gilded City."

Overall, I recommend "The Bringer of Sun" to fans of progressive death/black metal. I can't believe I missed this back in January, because it's a great album. Good instrumentation and vocals throughout. Impressively, this album is only the band's first. As the band matures, I hope they keep releasing material this technical and melodic.