VULTURE – Sentinels

Formed in 2015, Vulture are a German Thrash Metal band that resemble early Exodus, Metallica, and Slayer. Since their previous studio album, Dealin’ Death (2021), they’ve played at Wacken and Summer Breeze, the biggest German Heavy Metal festivals ever and thanks to their digital single from 2022, “High Speed Metal,” toured with Canadian Speed Metal band Exciter all over Europe throughout last year. In the past, it’s safe to say that Vulture haven’t spent too much time in the studio perfecting their albums. But with their latest release, Sentinels (2024), they took a slower and organized approach with the recording process, setting specific goals for the album that needed to be done. It was produced by Marco Brinkmann at Hellforge Studio.

Loud and Unapologetic

The album kicks off with “Screams from the Abattoir,” an intense and fast-paced Thrash Metal classic with shredding guitar work and killer shrieks from lead vocalist L. Steeler. “Unhallowed & Forgotten,” which pays tribute to the ‘70s Blind Dead film series, has a fist-pumping chorus and represents a band that’s hungry for more. While Steeler doesn’t have the most melodic voice out there, he plays with unusual vocal melodies for “Where There’s a Whip (There Is a Way),” which are intriguing and disturbing at the same time. “Gargoyles” has a great riff, brilliant guitar melodies, and screams Halloween vibes. Clocking in at five minutes, the closing track, “Sentinels (Heavier Than Time),” has an anthemic feel, thanks to its straight-forward chorus and catchy melodies.

While the album is filled with ferocious headbangers, most of them, to an extent, sound the same. The two short instrumental tracks on Sentinels, “Transylvania” and “Der Tod Trägt Schwarzes Leder,” are enchanting and melodic. With Spanish acoustic guitars, they could’ve been brilliant full-length songs with lyrics and all that good stuff. They could’ve been modern takes on “Fade to Black” or even “One.” Had those songs been included, instead of “Draw Your Blades” and “Death Row,” Sentinels would’ve been a far more emotional and captivating listening experience. Talk about missed opportunities.

Final Assessment

However, the sound of the album itself is a breath of fresh air, thanks to the raw and unpolished production of it; very old-school. Bassist A. Axetinctör stays hidden in the background, but delivers quite an impression, thanks to his understated bass lines. The guitar work is excellent, especially with the weeping intro on “Oathbreaker.” Sentinels is one of those albums that’s meant for fans of certain musical tastes and it may take a while to appreciate the whole thing.

Album Tracklist

1. Screams from the Abattoir
2. Unhallowed & Forgotten
3. Transylvania
4. Realm of the Impaler
5. Draw Your Blades
6. Where There’s a Whip (There Is a Way)
7. Der Tod Trägt Schwarzes Leder
8. Death Row
9. Gargoyles
10. Oathbreaker
11. Sentinels (Heavier Than Time)

Band Lineup

L. Steeler – lead vocals
S. Castevet – guitars
M. Outlaw – guitars
A. Axetinctör – bass guitar
G. Deceiver – drums