It’s been 5 years since Vektor assaulted us all with the amazing “Outer Isolation.” Since then, the band hit the road and toured like crazy. Thankfully, Earache wised up and signed them. The label also re-issued both “Outer Isolation” and “Black Future.” Now Vektor have their third album “Terminal Redux,” which picks up where “Outer Isolation” left off.

“Terminal Redux” feels even longer than 73 minutes. This is good and bad. While I love that Vektor are still amazingly talented and tight as fuck, I really wish there were a few more twists and turns throughout the album. The good news is that the last 2 songs have those moments. “Collapse” has some really great CLEAN vocals from vocalist David DiSanto and he even does a “harmony” harsh vocal as the song starts to pick up steam.

Many people do have issues with DiSanto’s vocals and I can understand it. He sounds like a mix of black metal hissing with the guttural style that the late Chuck Schuldiner used to have. This does make for challenging listening especially when you take into account the breakneck pace of Vektor’s music. Even Chuck realized that he needed a clean vocalist to cross over to bigger audiences which is why he formed Control Denied.

On the epic closer “Recharging the Void,” Vektor have their signature song in my book. It does everything they are known for PLUS dual guitars, gospel vocals (!) and more clean vocals in that mid section. When they add those dynamics to their sound, it actually makes the heavier moments of their music sound even heavier! It’s like when you go into a cold pool, eventually you get numb and don’t notice it. If Vektor follows the path of these 2 final tracks, they could be unstoppable.

The one-two punch of the opening tracks “Charging the Void” and “Cygnus Terminal” are awesome and signature Vektor tunes. The problem is that after the very cool instrumental “Mountains Above the Sun,” things do blend a bit and get a bit “samey” sounding until the final tracks.

Vektor still sound like Voivod on speed and that works for me. Still, they are a band that I have to take in doses rather than constantly listen. Of course, that could change if they continue to mature and grow. Is “Terminal Redux” Vektor’s epic masterpiece? No, but it is an excellent addition to the band’s stellar catalog.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tracklist:
1. Charging The Void
2. Cygnus Terminal
3. LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease)
4. Mountains Above The Sun
5. Ultimate Artificer
6. Pteropticon
7. Psychotropia
8. Pillars Of Sand
9. Collapse
10. Recharging The Void

Bandcamp: vektor.bandcamp.com/album/terminal-redux