Punk and metal go together very well, in my opinion. Thrash is a great, timeless example of how the two can blend.
Richmond, Virgina's Vigil have found a way to capture that and make something I haven’t been this excited about since the first time I heard Power Trip.
"During the COVID pandemic after going through many life changes, I started preparing to move to Richmond from Southern Virginia, where I spent most of my life," says drummer Mark Ramirez. "After playing drums for more than half my life and nothing to show for it, I decided to start making moves to change that.
"Since I knew very few people there, I hit up Richmond Craigslist with a 'Drummer looking for hardcore/thrash band' listing. At this time (I still am) I was really inspired by Enforced, so I attached a video drum cover of one of their songs. Mike quickly found me—he’s also a transplant in Richmond that grew up near me. I started traveling to Richmond to practice with him and I moved shortly after. It was just the two of us writing for over a year.
"While I was waiting on Vigil’s development, I temporarily filled-in on drums for Torment. Hayden played bass in Torment, and I ended up scalping him as our second guitarist, and he brought in his longtime friend/bandmate Taylor for bass. We eventually met Jessica and she won us over for vocals, finalizing the band."
Vigil just dropped their 4-song demo:
This is how Mark describes the Vigil style: "We’re crossover. Primarily thrash mixed with some hardcore punk and blackened vocals. Our biggest influences are Nuclear Assault, Dark Angel, Slayer, Sacrilege, and all of the great Richmond bands.
"Special shout out to Nuclear Assault—Mike really turned me onto them and I think they’re one of the best bands ever. Jessica used Morbid Saint as her main vocal muse during her later auditions and it clearly comes through. You’ll also hear newer influences like Power Trip and Enforced in our sound."
It looks like Mark and his Vigil bandmates are ready to work. "My main objective is to buckle down with the band and practice harder and smarter than we ever have. We’ll probably start doing small tour runs this fall/winter. I really hope to make my way to NYC soon, especially Brooklyn. North Carolina is naturally on the list too.
"We’re working on our second demo. We have loose outlines for three songs and one completely written. If we have enough reason to, we’ll eventually put out a full length. I’m along for the ride and I’ll react accordingly to whatever response we get. I’m just happy to finally be playing some fun music I’m proud of."
If you're a regular No Echo reader, you already know how strong the underground Richmond music community is. Mark offers up some of Vigil's favorite bands from their city:
"Enforced, Public Acid, Antichrist Siege Machine, Killing Pace, Destruct, Trace Amount, Battlemaster, Division of Mind, Spore, Copperhead, Left Cross, Loud Night, Blazing Tomb, Wasted Space, Khlysty, Downfall, Infernal Gaze, Night Hag, Ulamog, Redundant Protoplasm, and all the bands on Not For the Weak Records.
"I also have a Nascar-themed slam band dropping our first demo within the next couple months called Restrictor Plate. Check it if you like ignorant shit."
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