Third release from this Polish super-group conceived of members of Behemoth and Vader. Though my knowledge of their previous works is thin, I’m finding some enjoyable moments with 2007’s Distractive Killusions.

What I have gathered over the years reading about Vesania is that they failed to impress when compared to other acts in the genre. Despite the contrasting, Distractive Killusions offers up a menacing tidbit of symphonic black/death that is truly their own. Similarities can be made with bands like Dimmu Borgir and or Old Mans Child, but what Vensania delivers is much more brutal than that. A lot of the sounds heard on this record lean more towards the death metal side of things than black in my opinion. Most of that assumption comes with the vocals and caning Polish riffing.

The beauty of this record is the balance between black metal and death metal. Obviously, this is what you get when veteran death metal personnel, especially Polish ones, decide to make symphonic black metal. Keyboards flourish Distractive Killusions with a psycho circus sound ala Sigh’s Hangman’s Hymn, vocals range from guttural to high shrieks and the guitar tone is very hefty. Most of this CD is driven with riffs. There really isn’t a hell of a lot going on diversity wise. Most essence introduced comes in the vocals and drum patterns. The real gift here unfolds in the vocals. Lead man and guitar player Orion (also of Behemoth) is a talented man to say the least. Variety is present and he is really similar to Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity.

Where Distractive Killusions fails is in the songwriting. Most of these tunes are very easily forgettable and can get boring. A lot of these tracks clock in at five minutes and without much keeping your attention, it is effortless to surf through the songs. A standout track is “Rage of Reason.” There is a break in this song that is just fiendish and makes the hair stand up on my neck, and there are plenty of moments in other tunes that carry that villainous and nefarious epic touch.

Vesania isn’t going to wow the metal world with Distractive Killusions but will hold some interest in fans of the symphonic black genre. Once again, as metal critics we need to look past our search of perfection and find gratification in solid releases.