Tempe's Vektor Gets Some Metal Loving From NPR

By Christina Caldwell Tue., Jan. 10 2012 at 6:00 AM

Categories: News

Vektor

NPR has a way of simplifying complicated ideas for the layman, be they the financial crisis or the intricate web of Republican frontrunner intrigue. When it comes to their profile about Tempe's sci-fi thrash metal four piece Vektor, they kept things uncluttered and uncomplicated: "Vektor: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Fast."

Yep, that's pretty much exactly the way anyone would describe the song "Tetrastructural Minds," which was featured as NPR Music's Song of the Day yesterday.

(Now, just for a minute, imagine Terry Gross and Diane Rehm rocking out to Vektor. Please, just imagine it -- and if you're like us, soon images of Ira Glass and David Edelstein will creep in, too.)

But back to Vektor, blasting a stand-out track from the its 2011 release, Outer Isolation. The features complicated metal instrumentation presented in a rather straight-forward, digestible way, which isn't to say that this isn't totally in-your-face.

"The Internet has ushered in a new age of revivalist music trends, with thrash metal particularly benefiting from a surge in interest. But, while countless acts re-live every sound the genre has to offer, Vektor finds a way to embrace the past while also carving out an original niche: The young Arizona band combines thrash with elements of black metal and progressive rock. The resulting blend is fast, detailed, incredibly melodic and unexpectedly inventive," writes NPR's Anthony Fantano.

We agree. Take a listen below: