VULTURE Sentinels JEWEL CASE [CD]

If there is one band that combines a classic approach with fresh ideas and an expansive joy of playing to honour their ancestors from the likes of early Exodus, Metallica or Slayer, then it is the German fivepiece Vulture. On their fourth album Sentinels, they prove once again that tradition and further development are not mutually exclusive, but on the contrary can lead to something extraordinary that leaves no headbanger untouched. "In direct comparison to the last album Dealin' Death, we've picked up the pace again noticeably, we're bolder and a bit wilder again. It was important to us to be catchy and to include choruses that stick. Of course, we've basically retained our style, but we've defined the framework of the songs more clearly," says guitarist Stefan Castevet.

However, in order to create such a monster as Sentinels, some changes were necessary. "It started with the songwriting, where we took more time than usual. We recorded a total of three demos with numerous songs, which we also produced to the best of our ability. This gave us the chance to let our songs sink in as relatively final versions so that we could then choose the best pieces and - at least in part - rework them again." Vulture again recorded with Marco Brinkmann in his Hellforge Studio and there were also some innovations. "We had a clearly structured daily routine, a normal working day with set goals, so to speak, in which we could focus purely on recording the songs. That was quite a change, our previous recordings were a bit less organized which resulted into working overtime for everyone involved at the end. This is one of the reasons why Sentinels is the best sounding Vulture record to date!"