Angry Metal GuyBy Owlswald
No matter if you’re a seasoned band or new to the game, choosing the right pre-release track is critical when kicking off PR for a new album. And in a crowded music scene, where everyone is fighting to make their mark, the challenge is even greater: can you leave a lasting impression in the first few minutes to make me want to keep listening? Pensacola, Florida’s Visitant did just that with “Starless,” the first single from their debut album, Rubidium. Taylor Tidwell’s (Unaligned) blackened riffing, the death-infused rhythms of drummer Anthony Lusk-Simone (Abiotic) and bassist Kilian Duarte (Abiotic, Scale the Summit), and the tormented shrieks of vocalist Chelsea Marrow (Voraath) grabbed me immediately, leading me to promptly snag the full promo from the bone pile. Intended to be a departure from the members’ other projects, Rubidium offers a visceral and harrowing descent into a hellish, otherworldly state driven by profound loss and torment.
Visitant blends their tech-death roots with the classic symphonic black metal sound to craft Rubidium’s spiritual aura. The record’s haunting mood is immediately apparent on “Unworldly,” which opens with a sinister orchestral passage that quickly gives way to a vicious miasma of Marrow’s icy rasps, Lusk-Simone’s malevolent blasts and Tidwell’s eerie leads. The progression is reminiscent of early Cradle of Filth and gets the album off to a strong start. The performances on Rubidium are solid across the board, with Visitant skillfully blending technical precision with raw feel. The dynamic interplay between Tidwell’s guitar and Lusk-Simone’s drums create a stylish balance. The two frequently push and pull, creating a dialogue that feels synchronized but also spontaneous. Marrow—who has lent her vocal talents to video games like Doom Eternal and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II—contributes her versatility, conjuring vengeful spirits through an expressive séance of rasps and hoarse growls (“Fodder,” “Starless”), Gojira-encrusted hymns (“Rubidium,” “Briars”) and ethereal croons (“Moon Bathe,” “Envy’s Lament”). It’s evident she has great range, but her sparse use of her striking cleans is disappointing and could have been a game-changer for the group’s sound.
Rather than relying on the guitar to take center stage, Lusk-Simone’s technical drumming drives Visitant’s eldritch sound with powerful, forward-moving energy. His precision blasts, acrobatic fills and progressive rhythms imbue Rubidium with an aural restlessness, balancing Tidwell’s Opethian chords (“Rubidium,” “Unworldly”) and moody refrains. This creative reversal of a common metal paradigm—where guitars are the heart and soul—allows Lusk-Simone’s performance to shine. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the strongest three-song stretch—from “Starless” to “Fodder”—which are defined by Tidwell’s unnerving, bending milieus and proficient shredding that underpin Lusk-Simone’s explosive kit work. Noteworthy highlights include Lusk-Simone’s hard-hitting fills coupled with rapid-fire double bass and swing beats in “Fodder” or the title track’s memorable and heavy syncopated bridge where Lusk-Simone and Tidwell lock together perfectly before settling back into their respective roles.
But odd production choices unexpectedly hold back Rubidium’s strength. Despite Tidwell’s memorable and astute riffs, and a high DR score, the production often buries the guitars too far back in the mix. Consequently, this makes Tidwell’s playing feel muted and strips his guitar of its authority. I had to almost max out the mid-range EQ on my headphones to really hear Tidwell’s guitar work on tracks like “Briars” and “Otherworldly”—a frustrating outcome that’s impossible to overlook. At just thirty-two minutes, Rubidium also feels short, a feeling amplified by its closing instrumental, “Moon Bathe.” While the interlude has promising ideas and an interesting exotic flair, it’s over too quickly and feels underdeveloped.
Rubidium left me with a sense of anticipation rather than satisfaction, feeling less like a complete body of work and more like an intriguing blueprint for what’s to come. Still, when Visitant’s talents align—as they do on the album’s strongest tracks—the result is an unsettling and convincing blend of technicality and raw emotion. There’s no shortage of quality performances, and Rubidium has all the ingredients for a gripping album. By further refining their approach and leaning into their more bespoke qualities, Visitant is poised to deliver an album that builds on the considerable promise of this debut.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Exitus Stratagem Records
Websites: visitant1.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/visitantband
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025
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