Bear – Vanta (Review)

Bear are a progressive hardcore/metal band from Belgium and this is their fifth album.

When the promo blurb states that an album is recommended for fans of bands such as Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, and Norma Jean, how can you not check it out? Besides, I’m already a fan of Bear’s work, as both 2017’s /// and 2020’s Propaganda were very enjoyable slabs of angular heaviness.

Vanta provides 44 minutes of New material to get stuck into, and Bear sound on fire. Vanta is probably their most aggressive, dynamic, and energetic manifestation so far. The songs are generally, on average, slightly longer than those on the band’s last two albums, and Bear don’t waste any of this extra time.

One thing that struck me early on about Bear was their ability to combine crushing heaviness with an underpinning emotive base. This continues to be the case on Vanta, making for the sort of very moreish songs that the band do so well. Even with their increased aggression and overall intensity levels Bear haven’t lost their emotive core. The end result is a collection of tracks that makes me as excited to listen to them as when I first discovered ///.

Bear have produced a maelstrom of multifaceted musical depth, simultaneously delivering neck-snapping heaviness and oceans of expressive feeling. Vanta also has an insane amount of catchy hooks. These new songs mine a rich seam of creativity that blends heaviness, feeling, and complexity. Bear’s progressive songwriting and atypical ideas are rendered in multidimensional form, dragging the listener into Bear’s evocative world with forceful power.

Vanta is every bit as good as I wanted it to be. Better in fact. I had high hopes for Bear’s latest, as they have proven their worth in the past. It has actually exceeded my expectations though, and Vanta is an extremely satisfying, engaging, and enjoyable record.

Very highly recommended.