Album Review: Vestigial – Descending Vastness

Artist: Vestigial
Title: Descending Vastness
Label: Cyclic Law
Release date: July 4th, 2025
Country: Italy
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording

Album Review: Vestigial – Descending Vastness via Cyclic Law by Pegah

“Descending Vastness”, the latest release by VESTIGIAL via Cyclic Law, suggests the decline of the earth, as the titles of each track later reveal. Even the cover art reinforces this feeling, with a monochrome image depicting a vast, empty mountain without any signs of life. “Ascending”, as the opening track, contrasts with “Descending” in two ways: one is watching the earth from above to witness its decline with our own eyes; the other is ascending toward another realm — an unknown place where distorted voices and whispers drift among soundscapes that feel like the void. Voices that seem both familiar and strange. With its minimalist structure, free of unnecessary layers, this track conveys deep meaning through the fewest possible sounds.

As we move toward another world where time and space have no definition, the same calming soundscape continues to echo, removing the fear of the unknown. In one second — or perhaps less — everything that has happened “Through A Million Points Of Time” is revealed before our eyes. The soundscape shifts slightly to reflect the harshness of events. “Elemental Thesis”, with its unrelenting fearful tones, embodies the feeling of chaos. At this point, a solution is needed to prevent the world from falling apart.

The atmosphere in “Vastness” feels shaped by wind, void, and emptiness. It mirrors the cover art, vast layers stripped of life. The rhythm changes subtly in “Set The Sun To Flames.” Here the track takes on a ritualistic tone, as if enacting a ceremony to set the sun aflame. There’s a paradox between “the sun” and “flames,” as though, due to the earth’s decline, the sun no longer burns and flames must be lit to keep the light from disappearing.

“863” offers a different atmosphere, its female voice lending a spiritual, almost angelic presence. This number is said to be an angel number, maintaining balance between material and spiritual life — perhaps essential to saving the world. Yet the sounds shift again toward closure, growing darker, the voices returning, perhaps as a warning of decline. Or perhaps, in sympathy with this descending world, “Do You Hear The Earth Cry”? 9/10

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9/10  Epic Storm
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