Vidres a la Sang - Fragments De L’Esdevenir (2022) (English review)

For fans of dark, patient and at the same time intense metal, a new publication by Vidres a la Sang is always good news. Having been "silent" during the past years of the pandemic and with no news since that enormous "Set de Sang" in 2018, the current moment seems appropriate to delve into the bowels of new compositions by this Catalan group.

Already entering fully into "Fragments de L'Esdevenir", and despite it being their fifth album, the trio continues to strive to make their mark clear from the first second. Not in vain, "Mort de Paraula" becomes one of my favorite moments, with a crescendo that seems to have a life of its own. 

Another of the paradoxical details that stands out in this project is the simplicity with which the group tries to go further with developments, changes of rhythm and "raw" experimentation, without out-of-place complements. This desire to be progressive within their black/death brings thousands of nuances to the final result, something that we can see in "Salveu-me els Ulls".

 

 

There is another clear difference between "Fragments de L'Esdevenir" and its predecessor: the duration. Despite being released as an LP and not an EP, the total time is cut by 15 minutes compared to "Set de Sang", which gives each of the five songs a crucial position within the final result. 

To finish, the last two compositions change their proposal a few degrees, allowing themselves to be carried away more by the previously mentioned progressiveness, instead of by the intensity. This takes shape and color in a lilting and entertaining "Fins Aqui", with an ending that combines spoken word and a riff in the form of an Opeth high, and in "Ara Es Demà", which lands us between developments to an intense calm. with only seventies included.

In conclusion, although "Set de Sang" seems to have become a crucial release in the history of Vidres a la Sang, this latest "Fragments de L'Esdevenir" increases expectations about the group and gives us hope of being able to enjoy the live trio sooner rather than later.