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"Best new
release I've heard in a while. Listen you will love it." Chainsaw
Fellatio
"Damn. Heavy as Hell. Great release. Fans of The Body,
Celeste, Arktika, and Fall of Efrafa take note." Elementary Revolt
"A very solid sound and worthy of attention and admiration. Without a
doubt one of the best surprises of 2010. Recommended a lot." Exhale
The Sound
"Vestiges have a really unique blend of several metal genres and they really
can’t be easily pigeonholed; this band is definitely worth a listen if you crave
original metal." MetalSucks
"Well, this is definitely one of the best albums of the year! Kinda sounds
like Fall of Efrafa but in their very own way. A hint of black metal and
lots of crusty lines!" Autosuicide Machine
"Whoa. Another release fans of Fall Of Efrafa should love, Vestiges
incorporate hardcore, crust, black metal, screamo, and post-rock to create a
terrific and dark atmosphere to their songs." Behemoth Skin
"The Descent Of Man is a masterpiece and delivers an amazing blending of
post-hardcore, crust, and black metal. Amazing demo and skillful band with
solid playing. One of the best demos for 2010." Crust-Demos
"This is probably my album of the year. Considering this band formed
January of this year, this is goddamn remarkable. Vestiges basically
blends black metal with crust, hardcore, and post-rock, so check it out if
you’re a fan of any of these." Aesthetic Dialectic
"Original and vivid sound too impressive summarized the effects of the raised
area. Too beautiful. The song has become one of seven songs over 46
minutes starting intro to outro, ending all the world there is no waste nothing
sounds too perfect to expand its 46 minutes." Isolationistism
"This album, as the title suggests, follows the decent of man. As you
listen to the album, you can definitely pick up on Vestiges wide range of
influences. They have build ups that sound like they belong on a post-rock
record, blast beats that scream black metal, and vocals that sound like
crust." Creation Is A Curse
"This is a hell of a debut album, and even more if you realize that this band
only formed in January! They combine a lot of different genres together
and very successfully too. You can identify post-rock, black metal, crust,
hardcore and even some elements of drone in an album of 46 minutes
long." Post-Engineering
"Combined elements of crust, screamo, black metal, hardcore and post-rock, this
project is a behemoth just waiting to be unleashed in the form of a 40 minute
monster crashing down and choking you. Heart-stopping, atmospheric tunes, backed
by inspiring and breathtaking lyrics...just perfect." Natures With No Plagues
"A band as passionate about it’s message as it is about its sonic annihilation. This three-piece is angry as fuck, but come off highly artistic in their
approach. The Descent Of Man is beautiful as it is cathartic, melancholy as it
is fierce and raw as it is harmonious. The heaviness of this album cannot be
overstated."
Metal As Fuck
"The Descent Of Man is their first work, and so far the only, a very
well-crafted album, combining perfectly the post hardcore and post-rock, forming
an interesting post-metal sound. Songs with a high content of shocks, confusing
at times where we ran into some passages of doom and features delicate post-rock
moments." Frankuervo Music
"The tracks are full of emotional crossroads which say that mankind is a
continuous contrast which destroy what he fights for, a progress-regress that
confirms moral decay. You'll notice that both in the stronger and the calmer
parts notes are all in their place, forty-six minutes of musical pleasure and
the good production makes The Descent Of Man perfect." Aristocrazia Webzine
"This band is definitely to look out for in the future. And if their future
releases sound like this then I would say they have the potential to become your
next favourite extreme metal band. If your into Wolves In The Throne Room, Isis,
Fall Of Efrafa and Nachtmystium then you will love this album. Awesome release
especially when its for free download as well." The Sludgelord
"We must pay tribute, the group meets its ambitions. atmospheric cocktail of
genres, where, because every note, because each of the protruding ears, and for
me personally it is a compliment and a sign of quality if I may say so. Indeed,
the guys did a great job creating a truly monolithic narrative, which are not
absolutely divided into individual tracks and captures from the beginning to the
end." Norsk Trevirke
"Independently-released debut album by Vestiges. Seven lengthy compositions that
combine a driving sort of crusty hardcore/punk with black metal and touches of
"post-rock" influences. There's a lot of variation on here, yet it always sounds
very natural, it's very fluid sounding. The album follows the creation, the
evolution, and the eventual annihilation of mankind. Totally outstanding
release!" Black Hand Inn
"I stumbled by chance on this band, but was immediately overwhelmed by their
debut album. Especially since the power structure and the ensuing outbreaks over
the exploits of Fall Of Efrafa remember once, and just swept the ears. This
concept is still an interesting text about the creation, evolution and eventual
destruction of mankind. The Descent Of Man is thus in every respect absolutely
great album." Laermstoerung
"During a break from homework, I took the time to listen to one of the best new
bands of the year, hands down. This is 45 minutes of well recorded, well
written, well produced and effortful music for free. Several genres combined at
the perfect times, stoner, black metal, hardcore, and tidbits of drone. The
instrumentals are slow and heavy in all the right places. Besides the
craftsmanship, the concept is solid." Heavy Boots Music
"This album contains seven tracks that are filled with anger and despair. These
guys did an excellent job with this album. The sound is right and all
instruments are in balance. The vocals are making almost me afraid. This guy has
an awesome throat. This voice goes truly through your bones! Vestiges has
released this impressive album at the tenth day of the tenth month in year ten
and it is an display of heaviness, brutality and also sadness." Insane Riez
"First self-released album of the band. The sound of The Descent Of Man is
qualified by their own hand as post-hardcore/black metal. It reminded me
inevitably of Fall Of Efrafa: long songs (maybe not like the British) with neo
crust melodies, voices and the dark side of the conceptual idea. Vestiges
evolving style of Foe introducing faster pace, own Scandinavian metal of the
nineties, more than double drum sound and a more saturated. Really an excellent
debut for a few strangers." Dancing For Decadence
"I found it to be driving in an unrelenting forward direction the entire album. It holds a solid sound to it for most of the album, but at certain points the
songs get less comfortably expected, and take a jolting/punchy move into
pulverizing drums, and searing guitar chop rhythms. Then you get lulled into a
sense of calm that is done in a manner than isn't mind numbingly boring, you
actually still feel like something is pushing your forward, a hand gently guides
you. Pressing against your lower back and you can't offer any resistance." Gaia
Online
"What do you get when you mix ambient, post-rock, hardcore, crust, drone and
black metal? Something that’s probably both pretentious and cluttered. Unless,
of course, you’re the band Vestiges, who have seamlessly created a unique sound
of their own with their great debut album, The Descent Of Man. The only band I
can compare it to would be The Pax Cicilia, only because they’re another one of
those genre-crossing bands that take a little bit of influence from each and
meld it into something they can call their own. Highly recommended!" Under The
Water It Glowed
"It seems they are like a wandering ghost whose soul does not want to leave this
world, as one cannot find information about them. Post-metal cold and bleak as
the morning of a day that will never exist, led to high doses of crust that
accelerate this genre like no other style I've ever heard, except the obvious
perhaps all the more angry if it is within the sound. From the sugary melodies
of II to the number of nuances and contrasts in IV where we find the greatest
flashes of crust in the band, all formed into a single point where the whole
focus to become absolute nothing." The Tomb Of God
"The album is an extremely well-produced mixture of dark atmospheric post
hardcore, with crust-styled vocals. If I had to draw comparisons, I’d think of
European bands like Fall of Efrafa, Monachus or Alpinist. Lyrically Vestiges
sing about the extinction of man and the fear of god. Expressing deep anarcho-primitivism
ideals ‘Rejoice, reclaim, and rebuild what mankind has taken for granted.’ Don’t
get me wrong it’s not like Crass, where there is a message being shouted at you. It’s more of a dark epic type atmospheric sound. With each song numbered in
Roman numerals rather than a track title making it more long like one piece or a
soundtrack." CVLT Nation
"Amazing stuff right here. I'm really blown
away by this record - so many influences at work here. Hardcore,
post-rock, black metal, crust...and the final product is an amazing composite of
all of those sounds that still manages to state its own case, to carve out its
own spot. The songwriting is solid, the musicianship is intense, and the
passion is on full display. Lyrically monstrous as well. It's a
heavy and punishing album that still allows you to get up when it's over and ask
for more. My words don't do justice to this record, and I really don't
think you want to miss this, so forget what I said and check it out for
yourself. You won't regret it." Hammer Smashed Sound
"Vestiges The Descent Of Man is one record that is absolutely not to be
missed. It is rather uncommon for a three piece to unleash such a devastating
slab of aural stimuli. Mixing a wide range of influences including drone,
post-rock, screamo, crust punk, hardcore and black metal, The Descent Of Man is a
compelling ride from start to finish. The band seems to be extremely efficient
in lulling the listener into a comfort zone by setting moods and soundscapes and
letting them sink into the psyche and then breaking the boundaries of what a
band should be able to play within the confines of their genre niche. Their
drone parts are compelling and keep the songs moving forward, like hands gently
yet firmly pushing behind the listeners back, taking him towards an inevitable
release of fury and ultimately, catharsis." Chickpea Justice
"In the same vein as Isis and Neurosis, Vestiges delivers an ethereal, yet
brutal brand of atmospheric, crushing metal. On the band's website, they claim
to be influenced by "hardcore, black metal, crust, d-beat, screamo and
post-rock." A lot of bands claim to mix certain influences, but it seems as
though one influence (often times, it's more of a butchered emulation that is
more insulting to the bands involved in the genres) will often dominate the mix. This simply isn't the case with Vestiges. Everything is mixed perfectly. The
blast beats come at just the right moments and are often followed by a mid-tempo
d-beat to keep things fresh.
The atmospheric dirges go long and hard, but they never reach that point of
overkill. The Descent Of Man is highly recommended to those who want a breath of
fresh air in underground heavy music. Keep an eye out for these guys.
They are apparently ending this narrative as quickly as it started." 413
Reviews
"Like the changing of the seasons in a nuclear winter, The Descent Of Man is a
bleak and unforgiving chasm of gaping post-sludge chords echoing endlessly into
the darkness, flecked with the occasional rays of light which break through the
ashen clouds, and clattering acidic rainfall of black metal riffs and martial
d-beat drums. The anguished, hoarse vocals either the sound of the last man
pleading to be taken – all of which fits nicely with their general tolling of
the planet's plague bell, citing 'industrialization, militarization,
overpopulation, theism, specieisim, and nihilism' as the horseman riding out on
the eve of our forthcoming apocalypse. Vestiges have such a sprawling sonic
vision – reminiscent of Fall of Efrafa, Dead to a Dying World and Year of the
Flood. Ambitiously sounding black metal-flavoured post-crust units may be the
flavour of the month in beard-land, but ambitious and well executed concepts are
still very much the exception."
Extreme Responses
"Vestiges was created in January 2010 and incorporates black metal, hardcore,
crust, screamo, and post-rock. Their first album, The Descent Of Man is the
first installment of their planned narrative. The band remains completely
anonymous and the album plays as one song, broken into sections. Lyrically the
album deals with the creation, evolution, and eventual decay of mankind. Dark
subject matter for dark times, Vestiges are here to embrace the truth and to
illustrate what has gone wrong with the earth. The first aspect about the band
that struck me was the quality of the recording. Obviously Vestiges is very
serious about their music because they have taken much effort to make sure the
record receives the highest quality production while still maintaining very
natural, live performance grit. Brooding doom sections give way to fast blast
beats then to somber clean sections. The vocal style is a combination of a harsh
black metal growl and a hardcore yell. The vocals fit the music perfectly and
add the right amount of aggression. The ability of Vestiges to transition from
black metal to doom to d-beat sections effectively is a major strength of the
band. There is no forced influence." The Inarguable
"What impresses me the most about his band was that they formed in 2010 and
released 50 minutes worth of music the. same. fucking. year. Some bands
can't even progress that quickly. Shit, some bands release a handful of demos before
they release an EP, but these guys clearly had a vision and a passion for what
they wanted to express. It's completely evident throughout the album. They
create a narrative not only in lyrical form but also in musical form. This album
is one piece of music split into seven parts. There are no titles either, just
numerical titles that sequence the album. The story of this record (if I can get
this right the first time) explains how we as human beings take the earth and
it's resources for granted, and destroy every living thing for our own personal
gain. The message is a strong one because this is something that we see every
single day. And as much as we want to stop the excess, we just can't, and
unfortunately, someday, we may face the consequences of our actions. The music
is gripping, it's chilling, and straight-up heavy. Constantly building up track
after track. This record is a testament to how far we can push ourselves as long
as we have the passion, drive, and love for what we do. It's an incredible
album. And these guys deserve every good thing that comes their way. Highly
recommended." Mad Hause Music
"Since I'm a sucker for bands that has a story behind their music my
expectations was quite high when I finally got a hold of the album, but I did
not expect to be blown away the way I did. The record started out with an intro
with some distorted noise and a voice which I couldn't interpret. Then, slowly
but steady, a guitar sneaks up on me while playing a really cozy melody, then
some bass and some drums joined the mellow dance. So far so good. Then suddenly
the music smites me down like lightning and the post-metal apocalypse is upon
me. I could not believe what I was listening to. This did not sound like a new
band whom are just trying out their new wings, it sounded like a band whom has
been around and developed for quite some time. The range of different
genres that were thrown at me was amazing. One moment I was being cradled by
sweet and mellow post-rockish tunes only to be thrown into a hail of speeding
black metal riffs and relentless crust and in the next turn I was being crushed
by epic post-hardcore build ups with sing-along parts that stuck inside my brain
like glue. Some months have passed since the first time I listened to The
Descent Of Man and it has only grown on me. Two more albums are planned to
follow the narrative and I for one can't wait to see how Vestiges will progress
from here." That Church Better Be On Fire
"I'm hearing everything that I've ever wanted in a band like this. They combine
the emotional filled vocal style of Fall Of Efrafa and the instrumental work of
Celeste to bring a unique blend and call it their own. It's bands like Vestiges
that really define the post-metal genre and what it should be. Their
influences of crust and hardcore is staggering with their harsh but very
aggressive vocal patterns and ability to have you on edge at all times. Lyrical
content displayed is something else. You can almost just feel the raw hatred for
mankind and civilization and how we're just killing ourselves day in and day out
when listening to Vestiges. The guitar work is sometimes light but can instantly
progress into something that is loud, heavy, and just throws tons and tons of
raw energy at you until you run out of breath at how captivating it really is. At times, this album almost made me feel as if they were a veteran in the black
metal scene with their constant blast beats and superb tremolo picking. I just
love the builds up from the passive sounding intro to the eerie feeling of the
outro. There are a lot of atmospheric sludge bands out there that are a real snoozefest but Vestiges doesn't sugarcoat it and lays out their sound on a
perfectly aligned grid. If it were still 2010 I would definitely deem this album
in my top 10 albums of 2010. Truly, a masterpiece that captivates not only the
mind but the body and spirit as well." Ryonikis
"The DIY ethic has long been a tremendous ideal that has always appealed to my
often times ridiculous sensibilities, but what can I say besides that there is
just something to a band putting their blood sweat and tears into a project from
the first inkling of inspiration to breaking open that box of records from the
record plant; the whole project seems more genuine or more 'real' if you will,
and not that all bands who do release records themselves are always doing it
with DIY intentions more like a simple necessity. When the download for The
Descent Of Man started making the rounds on the world wide interwebz at the end
of 2010, I immediately took notice of Vestiges due to the mammoth blast of
devastating sound that the band conjures from their instruments and the brute
force of the vocals that come screaming from my speakers. Ambitious, epic,
grand, etc are all adjectives that one could use when describing The Descent Of
Man, and those would certainly not be hyperbolic fodder given by an over fawning
critic; instead, though, I would be more apt to say that Vestiges seemingly lay
down a challenging record full of bombast (check out the opening two minutes of
I for a perfect example and the explosive V for another great example) that
is a dynamic rollercoaster ride that hits on all of the touchstones that this
emerging style (that being the sound in the vein of say Fall Of Efrafa, kind of
like a more crusty Neurosis with a healthy does of screamo, but then again this
is also a poor man’s synopsis of the sound that Vestiges has). This is certainly
a polished effort as the band seamlessly transitions from song to song without
batting an eyelash (something some bands never quite master) while still making
each track a unique piece of music and the melodic aspects of the music fit
perfectly with the crunch of the guitars and the pounding of the drums (the
relentless drumming in II is awesome, so go there to hear what I am saying). So many great records have been self released in the last few years, and,
partially, this trend has something to do with how most record labels actually
are clueless on how to operate in the age of digital file sharing, while the
ones that do get it are overwhelmed with releases as it is; on the other hand,
some artists do generally want to release records themselves, and I have
personally benefitted from these situations by hearing great music and seeing
amazing packaging. The Descent Of Man from Vestiges is no exception and there
are still copies of this release available if you do take the download plunge
and up immersing yourself in the record as much as I have (this honestly sounds
awesome on a turntable), so do yourself the favor of checking this beast out or
sleep on it and forever hate yourself for it." Scene Point Blank
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