As the celestial dance between light and darkness continues, VIPASSI beckons their audience to witness a moment of absolute clairvoyance. Today, we proudly unveil the full band playthrough for Phainesthai, a keystone of the transcendent album Lightless, which was released on January 26th.

Building upon the void-like brilliance of their debut, Śūnyatā, VIPASSI’s Lightless transcends the ephemeral boundaries of instrumental progressive metal. This sophomore offering delves into the eternal themes of light casting shadows, and the band’s unparalleled musicianship evokes a symphony of intricate emotions.

Crafted within the walls of Bushido Studios in Melbourne and refined by the adept hands of sound engineer Troy Mccosker and mixing maestro Mark Lewis, Lightless is more than an album—it’s an invitation to a celestial labyrinth. VIPASSI‘s refined artistry and technical prowess breathe life into a world where the listener navigates the labyrinthine hex of their own subconscious.

The intricate patterns of Presland’s drumming intertwine with the eclectic guitar movements of Ben Boyle and Benjamin Baret, and the fretless bass tones of Arran McSporran, crafting a dynamic and ever-evolving aural landscape. This playthrough is not merely a display of skill but a portal to the realms where light and dark engage in eternal dichotomy.

Watch the playthrough now on the Season of Mist YouTube channel:

Order the album: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/VipassiLightless

It’s no wonder that VIPASSI can spin epic stories without uttering a word. As a purely instrumental band, they’re blessed with a telepathic chemistry. 

Watch as they weave as one through this playthrough of single Labyrinthine Hex, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57YmrVajeGU

As well as being instrumental masters, VIPASSI have also crafted intricate narratives on their first single Phainesthai with a video shot, directed and edited by Jack Fontes. Watch it here.

Tracklist

1. Lightless (5:07)2. Labyrinthine Hex (7:11) [WATCH]
3. Morningstar (6:57) [WATCH]
4. Shapshu (4:23)
5. Phainesthai (5:49) [WATCH]
6. Ruination Glow (6:05)
7. Neon Rain (3:59)
8. Promethea (10:42)
Totalruntime: 50:13

In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.

With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.

Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).

Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, the band VIPASSI is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.

Lineup
Daniel Presland – Drums
Ben Boyle – Guitars & Synths
Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass
Benjamin Baret – Guitar Solos

Recording
Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.

Production
Sound Engineer – Troy Mccosker
Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Mark Lewis
Mixing (Live Version of Phainesthai) – Declan White

Bio
Sébastien Gamez

Follow Vipassi:
Bandcamp: https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipassiband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipassiband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GWniL0LcVnR9Ptiaa5J1
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vipassi/1082297817
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/9814258
TIDAL: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/7589038

VIPASSI have been carefully unlocking a mystery. The Australian quartet’s new album, Lightless, explores all sorts of twisted phenomena, from the hooded ritual of “Phainesthai“, the distorted maze of “Labyrinthine Hex” to the star-gazing mastery on “Morningstar“.

Lightless comes out this Friday, January 26. But you can get a sneak peek at the whole album today by visiting Season of Mist’s YouTube channel. 

Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/vipassi-lightless

Early praise for Lightless:

“Vipassi have managed to take the prior achievements of their debut and interlaced them with fresh ideas and approaches that show a massive development in their sound” – Distorted Sound (9/10)

“What makes Lightless truly stand out is its genuine sense of personality…a chemistry that cannot be imitated or manufactured. I’ll take that kind of real vision and know-how over noodle salad any day of the week” – Metal Sucks (4/5)

“A superb follow-up…a fine example of why Vipassi is among the best up-and-coming instrumental progressive metal acts” – Metal Injection (8/10)

As a purely instrumental band, Vipassi are blessed with a telepathic chemistry. No wonder they can spin epic stories without uttering a word.

Watch as they weave as one through a full band play through of “Labyrinthine Hex”, then conjure spirits deep in the dark, twisted woods of “Phainesthai” before venturing off into the mind-bending space caves of “Morningstar”. 

Tracklist

1. Lightless (5:07)2. Labyrinthine Hex (7:11) [WATCH]
3. Morningstar (6:57) [WATCH]
4. Shapshu (4:23)
5. Phainesthai (5:49) [WATCH]
6. Ruination Glow (6:05)
7. Neon Rain (3:59)
8. Promethea (10:42)
Totalruntime: 50:13

In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.

With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.

Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).

Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, Vipassi is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.

Lineup
Daniel Presland – Drums
Ben Boyle – Guitars & Synths
Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass
Benjamin Baret – Guitar Solos

Recording
Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.

Production
Sound Engineer – Troy Mccosker
Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Mark Lewis

Bio by Sébastien Gamez

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vipassi/1082297817
Bandcamp: https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipassiband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipassiband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GWniL0LcVnR9Ptiaa5J1

VIPASSI have been carefully unlocking a mystery. The Australian quartet’s new album, Lightless, explores all sorts of twisted phenomena, from the hooded ritual of “Phainesthai” to the distorted maze of “Labyrinthine Hex“.   

Today, these instrumental seekers are turning their all-seeing eye toward the future on new single, “Morningstar”.

Lightless comes out January 26. Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/vipassi-lightless

“Morningstar” gazes into an uncertain vision of the future. The song is blown open from the inside-out by a fretless low end that’s warped and bottomless as a wormhole. 

“A terrifying glimpse of the world beyond, visions of the future and its potential”. That’s how drummer Dan Presland describes his band’s new single.

The breakdown is heavy, with blast beats that whirl by like asteroids. But on “Morningstar”, Vipassi reach somewhere beyond the celestial. The way the  dissonant riff floats through an eerie synthetic glint will have you seeing more than just stars.  

“‘Morningstar’ is the true beginning of the spark that propels us through the album’s journey toward its haunting finale”, the band says.

As a purely instrumental band, Vipassi are blessed with a telepathic chemistry. No wonder they spin epic stories without uttering a single word.

Watch as they weave as one through this playthrough of recent single “Labyrinthine Hex”, here. 

Tracklist

1. Lightless (5:07)2. Labyrinthine Hex (7:11) [WATCH]
3. Morningstar (6:57) [WATCH]
4. Shapshu (4:23)
5. Phainesthai (5:49) [WATCH]
6. Ruination Glow (6:05)
7. Neon Rain (3:59)
8. Promethea (10:42)
Totalruntime: 50:13

In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.

With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.

Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).

Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, the band Vipassi is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.

Lineup
Daniel Presland – Drums
Ben Boyle – Guitars & Synths
Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass
Benjamin Baret – Guitar Solos

Recording
Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.

Production
Sound Engineer – Troy Mccosker
Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Mark Lewis

Bio by Sébastien Gamez

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vipassi/1082297817
Bandcamp: https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipassiband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipassiband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GWniL0LcVnR9Ptiaa5J1

VIPASSI laid the groundwork for their  mind-bending instrumental passages back in 2017, when they debuted Śūnyatā. The Australian  quartet built on that solidly progressive foundation last month with the release of “Phainesthai”, the first single and keystone of their new album Lightless. 

Today, the band are handing us another key. “Labyrinthine Hex” weaves a maze of intricate melodies and rhythmic complexities into a symphony of emotions.

The accompanying studio playthrough reveals not only the technical virtuosity of each member but also their telepathic chemistry. Watching the way they play off each other, it’s no wonder that Vipassi can spin epic stories without uttering a word. 

Lightless comes out 26 January, 2024. Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/vipassi-lightless

Tracklist

1. Lightless (5:07)2. Labyrinthine Hex (7:11) [WATCH]
3. Morningstar (6:57)
4. Shapshu (4:23)
5. Phainesthai (5:49) [WATCH]
6. Ruination Glow (6:05)
7. Neon Rain (3:59)
8. Promethea (10:42)
Totalruntime: 50:13

In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.

With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.

Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).

Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, the band VIPASSI is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.

Lineup
Daniel Presland – Drums
Ben Boyle – Guitars & Synths
Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass
Benjamin Baret – Guitar Solos

Recording
Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.

Production
Sound Engineer – Troy Mccosker
Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Mark Lewis

Bio by Sébastien Gamez

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vipassi/1082297817
Bandcamp: https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipassiband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipassiband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GWniL0LcVnR9Ptiaa5J1

VIPASSI laid a foundation on their debut album ‘Śūnyatā’ in 2017.

Originally formed as a project between drummer Daniel Presland (ex-Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Virvum) and guitarist Ben Boyle (Black Lava, Hadal Maw, AMDBL) to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their other projects, the band has since grown to add fretless bassist Arran McSporran (Virvum, Seven7, Cosmitorium) & additional guitarist Benjamin Baret (Ne Obliviscaris, Maer).

Today, Vipassi are releasing “Phainesthai”, the first single off ‘Lightless’. Their new album continues this intricate all-instrumental project. Each player isn’t just delivering notes. Instead the band are tuning into a symphony of emotions, inviting you inside a sonic universe where you can write the story.

“Phainesthai’ serves as the centrepiece and keystone of the album”, says Vipassi. ” The song itself celebrates phenomenon in all its forms. It’s also a perfect blend and introduction to the album’s sounds and motifs”.

‘Lightless’ comes out January 26, 2024.

Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/vipassi-lightless

Tracklist

1. Lightless (5:07)2. Labyrinthine Hex (7:11)
3. Morningstar (6:57)
4. Shapshu (4:23)
5. Phainesthai (5:49) [WATCH]
6. Ruination Glow (6:05)
7. Neon Rain (3:59)
8. Promethea (10:42)
Totalruntime: 50:13

In Buddhist tradition, VIPASSI is the twenty-second of the twenty-eight Buddhas. Etymologically, the name has its roots in clear vision – a being of extreme contemplation. The band of the same name is a world-spnning instrumental extreme metal band from the lands of Australia, France and the UK.

With members of acts such as Ne Obliviscaris, Black Lava, Hadal Maw & Virvum, their work on the 2017 debut album ‘Sunyata’, which has a loose signification of Emptiness or Void, set the grounds for a technically impressive and fully instrumental exploration of sonic textures in what can best be described as – a divine experience reaching the depths of the human soul.

Originally made as a project between Daniel Presland (Drums) and Ben Boyle (Guitars) as far back as 2007 to explore new concepts and sounds not currently engaged by their projects at the time, the band has since then grown and expanded to an international connection of like-minded musicians and virtuosos with Arran McSporran (Fretless Bass) and Benjamin Baret (Guitars).

Further exploring their labyrinthine textures and layers of sounds, the band VIPASSI is back with their sophomore album ‘Lightless’. The album shifts from the realm of the void towards a clash of light and dark – and sees the band expanding into even more technical and experimental realms, pushing the limits of their own ideas and abilities to heights unimagined when the band began all those years ago.

Lineup
Daniel Presland – Drums
Ben Boyle – Guitars & Synths
Arran McSporran – Fretless Bass
Benjamin Baret – Guitar Solos

Recording
Bushido Studios, Melbourne, Australia with additional recording in Gandia, Spain & Bordeaux, France.

Production
Sound Engineer – Troy Mccosker
Mixing & Mastering Engineer – Mark Lewis

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/vipassi/1082297817
Bandcamp: https://vipassi.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vipassiband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vipassiband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GWniL0LcVnR9Ptiaa5J1