The opening moments on their second album, Ultra, see metalcore crew Vatican go straight for the throat with a ripping mix of classic metalcore and dabs of electronics. A brutal kickstart to the release, the follow-up to their 2019 debut Sole Impulse, sees no let-up as the Savannah band tears into the chaotic “I Am Above,” an onslaught of abrasive vocals, chuggy guitars and layered electronics. Quite frankly, if the metalcore outfit keeps at this pace, there won’t be many of us left standing by the end, and it looks that way until “Reverence” when clean vocals and pianos start to infiltrate their way into the sound. After that brutal start then, Ultra sees Vatican incorporating more melodic aspects into the material. That’s not to say that the band lose that brutal edge, far from it, with ...