VIPASSI are unveiling the first track taken from their forthcoming album ‘Sunyata’. The debut of the Australian instrumental collective featuring members of NE OBLIVISCARIS will be out in stores on January 20th.
The track “Benzaiten” is now exclusively streaming via the official media partners below.
Regarding their track, VIPASSI comment: “Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge. ‘Benzaiten’ also happens to be the very first track composed by VIPASSI, which kick-started and affirmed our sound as well as the direction of our journey with this project, acting almost as a mission statement; honouring our love for extreme music and melody, capturing the ebb and flow of everything that inspires us to create. So it is fitting it be the first piece released through our new home at Season of Mist.”
Artwork and track-list of ‘Sunyata’ are revealed below.
Instrumental music traditionally has a harder time in metal as in other genres. All too often, virtuoso musicians have used their talent mainly to stroke already massive egos. Yet bands like ANIMALS AS LEADERS have demonstrated that ambitious skills and passionate song-writing can be fused into something greater, which appeals far beyond the grudging respect of colleagues.
With ‘Sunyata’, VIPASSI offer such a rare album that combines ecstatic technical virtuosity with a love of creating atmospheric soundscapes, sparkling melodies, and captivating passages.
VIPASSI were birthed in 2009 by guitarist Ben Boyle and members of Australian shooting stars NE OBLIVISCARIS, which marked the beginning of a long journey of writing and rehearsing. They soon settled on an instrumental style that captured the openness aimed for to allow any listener to interpret and connect with the material subjectively. Their project represents a desire to explore beauty and darkness in all its shades, through melodic and complex compositions that are bemused in themes of the struggles of the human experience, exploring nature, spirituality and science.
The roots of their sound reach back into a time when bands such as ATHEIST and CYNIC began to reform extreme music by infusing jazz and progressive elements into death metal. Now VIPASSI add a new chapter to the story with the instrumental highlight ‘Sunyata’. Dig deep into this musical treasure trove spilling over with shiny details, glittering melodies, and wealth of rhythm patterns.
When my old buddy Kenn Jensen asked me if I wanted to contribute to the new site he had created, then called powermetal.dk, I didn't hesitate. My love for metal music was and is great. I wrote my first review during the summer of 2004 (Moonspell's 'Antidote' album). In 2015, I took over the editor-in-chief role.
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