Riff Analysis 049 - Vektor "Recharging the Void"

Tantalizing.
Huge thanks to Robert Czaja for the amazingly detailed GP tab I learned from: tabs.ultimate-...
My conference paper about long-term returns in prog (well, in BTBAM in this paper, but I have a longer version I've submitted some places): • Circular Telos: Hearin...
Christopher Doll's book about harmony, in case you were confused by the weird up and down arrows I used: www.amazon.com...
Patreon, where you can support the channel, get exclusive videos, your name in the credits, all the diagrams I make for these, and input for my rapid fire riff videos: www.patreon.com/metalmusictheory
My music: www.bandcamp.com/floridekstasis
My website, which has all my videos and academic work nicely organized: www.calderhannan.com

[@BirdNoise77]

Vektor's whole discography is wonderful, but something really special happened in the studio when they recorded this album, it's hard to describe lol

[@henrywalton5967]

There's some real beauty in the TR songs that wasn't quite there in the other 2 albums!

[@broncoxy]

it's really a thrash metal space opera

[@broncoxy]

when I first listened to this album after curiously clicking on a cool cover artwork in my recommended videos, I _knew_ I found something truly special~

[@StevenC44]

Agreed. Terminal Redux is a masterclass in metal and rock opera composition. Got to see them play the whole thing live before, you know.

[@dittofilms]

thank you so much for this, terminal redux is a masterpiece

[@EdenPorterMusic]

hell yeah, vektor! such a good group of musicians playing some kind of bread-and-butter stuff but doing it premium with smart additions everywhere. the drums are always a delight too, like in the breakdown of LCD or the main riff of Ultimate Artificer on this same album. reminiscent of Sebastian Lanser's sublime drum composing

[@thwartificer]

Which riff is the main one in Ult. Artificer?

[@auellaitaela8035]

This was really cool taking a look more at how someone works magic with more traditional harmonic and tonal methods. Nothing too wild, just brilliant compositional execution.

[@DreamPurpleFloyd]

11:40 Yeah I agree, this is a sick riff for sure. Powerful and melancholic, as if it were saying 'yeah we're getting closer to a resolution, but that won't be some happy ending'

[@ronbent]

Great analysis as always, and one of my favorite albums/tracks ever. My own personal masterpiece in terms with what you're talking about is ISIS's "The Beginning and the End." Crushing return.

[@EviloveMetal]

Love your channel. More Vektor analyses would be amazing! This band is so unique and refreshing to my ear. They deserve more exposure.

[@mesoiq]

Great video , even though I don't know shit about music but I always go back to vektor and I didn't know why ,It was something special and this video taught me why

[@boarderking133]

Yeeeeeessss. Love this record!! never imagined you would do a video on it. LCD get me everytime with that pavlovian adrenaline rush. Same thing with ne obliviscaris in devour me colossus black holes

[@theakkusor]

Killer chops man!

[@gerben880]

Great stuff. Stoked to see them live a few weeks!

[@stevesullivan8405]

Good lord Vektor gets wilder every time I hear it or see it, Calder. Kudos mate

[@megan_tensei]

Thank you for explaining why this part sounds so uplifting. I never noticed that the main theme plays in a different key before then. Love this song and album

[@TheSquareOnes]

Very cool as usual, these big picture structural analysisesies are consistently some of the most interesting content. Also good to know more Florid Ekstasis is coming but we still need a proper breakdown of the stuff you've already released, it's not navel gazing if people ask for it.

[@andrewbellavie795]

Veridical Familiarity is definitely a thing, interesting to see it employed at a galactic scale in this track

[@mtlman906]

Man, thanks for this. Such a sick album. I got lucky and saw them play the whole album in a tiny club in Cleveland

[@josephhyde6189]

Great video, as always! This reminded me of the end of Venom Prison's song Comfort of Complicity, which has this twisty where-am-I-going? section with a 'fake' arrival before launching into the coda riff. The coda riff feels like it comes out of nowhere, but is also really satisfying and completes the song, and I'm not entirely sure how those two qualities coexist so well.

[@Penz0id]

Such a great album

[@armind3870]

Love your videos man. Keep it up

[@indridcold777]

Always impressed with your taste in metal and pretty certain we'd be good friends if we knew each other IRL.

[@christopherblowers443]

I always see rainbow outlined Gundams having an epic battle in space where you can see the star patterns through the translucent Gundam. 😆

[@metalmusictheory5401]

haha love that

[@Blackerer]

What a great album.

[@cosmocipher]

Hey there! I really love this series! Have you ever thought of making riff analysis of Martyr - Infinite Pain? That'd be something! Cheers man!

[@EpochofJoe]

I know you have good taste in fashion, because I also have an Obsolete shirt. 🤘

[@tyelerhiggins300]

Wooh. Gotta love that F standard tuning.

[@ronbent]

LESSGO

[@ronbent]

And appreciate the merch matching

[@DreamPurpleFloyd]

One of my favorite moments in this song is right at the beginning, in the first black metal section, when he sings 'follow me / to alshain / toward a fiery grave'. I love how the guitars and the vocals are doing call and response. Most bands would have simply put the vocals were the accents of the guitar riffs are, but that would have been way too pedestrian for Vektor.

[@c95060]

FUCK YEAH I'VE ALWAYS BEEN WAITING FOR VEKTOR

[@sawyeratkinson]

Love vektor man. Boo ya

[@rodrigog5654]

More vektor please !

[@supermot34]

Oh yeah, time for some Vektor *watches video*

[@robbledot7290]

back in the day Black Future was my shit

[@heycbob]

wow talk about an epic ending to an album

[@GFYFPV]

Snarky puppy kind of does this on a much smaller scale in lingus

[@bennyboyo9008]

Does anyone know anything similar to this album? Can't find anything like it

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Obsolete's album Animate/Isolate is close on the thrash/tech side, and BTBAM's stuff matches the scope and intricacy, but this album is pretty unique!

[@purpleholsterz]

Black fast

[@chapelcollins1]

You might like Coroner. It's less grand, but has a similar kinda jagged thrash feel with weird time signatures and chord voicings. Also, Voivod

[@Xankill3r]

This is such a cool riff (and album). I hate it that the guy had to go be an asshole to his wife. Didn't even check his (not their, because the rest of the band quit) followup split EP with that other band.

[@craigjames1082]

Honestly you're not missing much, I heard it once when it came out and was not impressed

[@KaiderKiller]

Great analysis of a great album, shame that it's tainted by David DiSanto's history of abuse

[@skoigoth]

Quality work, as always! I really appreciate these more in-depth analyses. If you are in the mood for some obscure, interesting black metal, I highly recommend checking out Voidcraeft. The EP they released last year is pretty dope! (edit: before someone complains, I'm not involved with that project, I just worship the void ((((o))))