Nightfly Few would argue the importance of Saint Vitus in the doom/traditional doom sphere and they certainly went out on a high with 1995’s Die Healing. Fast forward to 2012 and Lillie: F-65 was their first studio album for 17 years. Bassist Mark Adams and guitarist Dave Chandler remain from the line-up from Die Healing and in came new drummer Henry Vasquez to replace the sadly now deceased Armando Acosta. It also saw the return of Vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich (The Obscessed, Wino) replacing Scott Reagers once again.

The sound on Lillie not surprisingly is dominated by Chandler’s fuzzed guitar sound and while he’s never been the most busy player his playing seems even more minimal here as well as upping the fuzz quotient, from Die Healing at least. This to a certain extent seems to rob the riffs of some of their power unfortunately. Weinrich’s vocals whilst doing the job lack the range and expressiveness of Reagers. He was more convincing in The Obsessed to my ears. At only 34 minutes it’s pretty short and whilst there’s a few good songs time is wasted considering the short running time by album closer Withdrawal which is basically three minutes of feedback. Vertigo is better but is really another filler being a short guitar only instrumental. Of the five remaining songs nothing jumps out as great which is disappointing. Pick of the bunch is probably opener Let Them Fall and Blessed Nights. The faster and busier Blessed Nights has the edge but Let Them Fall whilst being very basic has a riff that gets under the skin. The Bleeding Ground for the most part is a bit too basic but scores points for Chandler’s searing guitar solo on the more up tempo ending.

Not the comeback album I would have hoped for from Saint Vitus then after the excellent Die Healing but I know it has its fans. However at the time of writing Saint Vitus have a new album due imminently with Reagers back on vocals. Whilst it’s too early to say, based on the two tracks currently available this is sounding far more like the return I’d have hoped for. Time will soon tell.

siLLy puPPy Naming themselves after the Christian saint from Sicily who died as a martyr from the Roman’s conquest and was allegedly able to fend off lightning strikes and animal attacks, the Los Angeles band SAINT VITUS provide their own musical attack on their eponymous debut album that came out way back in 1984. Along with Pentagram, SAINT VITUS were one of the pioneers in revitalizing the doom laden metal that Black Sabbath had invented more than a decade before. On this eponymous debut release we hear a whole host of grungy down-tuned guitar, catchy riffs and amplified fuzz backing up some of my favorite lyrics and vocals in the doom metal world. Scott Reagers was the original vocalist (and my fave) for SAINT VITUS and on this debut his contribution really set the band apart from bands like Pentagram who i feel sound a little too much like Sabbath at the same time.

Although we get nice doomy themes that revolve around zombies, magic, death and best of all - psychopaths, it’s Reagers’ operatic vocals that move these melodies and rhythms into a really catchy level of musicianship which allows Dave Chandler to show his guitar chops and bassist Mark Adams and drummer Armando Acosta to add their slow marching heaviness to make a consistently good album for the entire run. While this type of metal wasn’t reinventing the wheel or anything, it was paying tribute to a style that got swept away in the whirlwind 80s where speed and technicality were quickly gaining ground. While i find the albums of ST VITUS to be of varying quality i find this debut album to be very tasteful in its execution in its brilliant songwriting and catchy doom laden lyrical content. Great start for a legendary band.

Primeval Scum I like slow and brooding 80s doom metal, but Born Too Late just isn't...good. This album just comes off "weak, limp and boring" - as another reviewer said. With the exception of the title track, the songs all repeat the same stale riff with the same lackluster vocals and unmemorable squealing guitar solos. Not to mention the bad guitar and drum sound.

The title track manages to be fairly memorable and even enjoyable, but even that song suffers from the many of the same weaknesses as the others. I cannot understand why Born Too Late is considered a doom metal classic. I won't be returning to this album and I might not even bother to check out Saint Vitus's other stuff.

Warthur Reunion albums are a dangerous sport, creating as they do the risk of tarnishing a legacy by adding half-hearted, tired-out cash-ins to their discography. Saint Vitus, though, are doing it right here: Lillie: F-65 is as natural a followup to V (their last work with Wino on lead vocals) as Die Healing was a successor to their early albums with Scott Reagers. Vitus aren't big on surprises and you get exactly what you were hoping to here - fuzzed-out, doped-up traditional doom metal with deep riffs and depressive vocals. Taking up their throne alongside the other top players in doom metal as though they'd only stepped out briefly for a bonghit, Saint Vitus are well and truly back.

Time Signature Dark world...

Genre: doom metal

Wino Weinreich had left Saint Vitus prior to the recording of "C.O.D.", and ex-Count Raven vocalist (and later Lord Vicar frontman) Christian Lindersson handled vocal duties on that album. For "Die Healing", Saint Vitus re-recruited their original vocalist Scott Reagers. While "Born Too Late" is probably the most famour Saint Vitus album, "Die Healing" is often held to be their best album of all time. Perhaps that is why it was reissued earlier this year on the band's current label Season of Mist.

Upping virtually every aspect of what defines Saint Vitus' sound, the band delivers some of their most oppressive, desolate, and minimalistic music to date (perhaps only matched by "Lillie: F-65" from 2011). The aptly titled 'Let the End Begin' is the epitome of what makes good doom metal and is, or definitely deserves to be, a doom metal classic. The ultra-minimalistic 'Sloth' combines simplicity and noise to generate a haunting auditive darkness, while the super simple riffs of 'Dark World' and 'Return of the Zombie' are downright creepy.

Musically, the album - true to the identity of Saint Vitus - combines minimalism and guitar noise. Reagers' insane vocals are in stark contrast with both Wino's and Lindersson's singing styles. Reagers packs desparation, aggression and pure madness into his singing style, which is particularly highlighted in 'In the Asylum'.

"Die Healing" is a doom metal classic and probably one of the most important albums within the genre of doom metal in its entirety. All doom metal fans should take advantage of Season of Mist's reissuing of this album and purchase it right away.