“Vestige & Vigil” is The Bellwether Syndicate’s new, highly-anticipated full-length release and, without any exaggeration, I am trying to calm down and recover from the shock, after listening to this impressive, evocative, innovative album. For another time, the duo from Chicago, Illinois, presents us a genre-defying record, since the songs here start as melancholic, post-punk anthems and end having many other elements (from rock, alternative rock, gothic, industrial, new wave, etc.). Veteran artist William Faith (formerly of Faith and the Muse, Christian Death, Mephisto Walz, etc.) and Sarah Rose Faith deserve our congratulations, because, ignoring boundaries and labels, they are offering a beyond beautiful, mesmerizing work of music art, which sounds as a real triumph of musical creativity and musicianship. This album is a magical ride across enchanting soundscapes, a mystifying sonic scenario, which blows the listener away. Personally, I was thrilled by “Vestige & Vigil” and can’t stop listening to it again and again. Every song, from the singles “Beacons”, “Dystopian Mirror”, “Golden Age” and “We All Rise” to the other gems of the album, is an intriguing short musical story, a chapter in a captivating book of notes and visions. So, my friends, get ready for a real blast, a post-punk manifest, a lyrical and emotional masterpiece, which makes the heart beat faster and louder. “Vestige & Vigil” is a hard hitting, dark alternative album that touched me. Let’s see how you will react to it! I am pretty sure you will also be super-satisfied!
♦ 8/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
