Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures

While its current state still qualifies it for a highly regarded honorable mention and a high degree of critical and commercial anticipation for what's to come on Vaxis Acts II through IV.

This return to the Amory Wars concept is welcome. Even the few seemingly out of place moments are deliberate diversions to reward longtime fans. That said, in an era of renewed appreciation for prog metal in general, this offering should draw legions of new listeners.

If you're a listener here for the details, this stuff is red meat. Sanchez is giving glimpses of where things sit in his universe at the start of the story and hints that his previous set of heroes didn't actually bring down their galactic oppressors. But if you're a listener who's just here for the riffs, it's pretty easy to ignore the voiceover and just dig the synths as they push directly into the album's typically epic opener "The Dark Sentencer".

On a song-by-song basis, Sanchez leans into human moments to ground his bigger ideas in connection or struggle. That helps keep the more galactic concepts well-grounded.

It's diverting stuff, even for those who don't have even the vaguest idea of the plot. [29 Sep 2018, p.55]