With today's release of their debut full-length Virtues Of The Vicious, the Boston-based dark melodic power/thrash group Let Us Prey have released a music video for its title track, which features a guest guitar solo by Metal Mike Chlasciak (Halford, Testament).

Says vocalist Marc Lopes (who helmed the video himself), “'Virtues Of The Vicious' in simple terms is about if we are inherently violent by nature and born this way, or if it's a learned trait and a product of our environment. I actually did a two-week study about this before writing the lyrics. The conclusion is up for endless debate, and a conversation I would only have in a personal one-on-one encounter with a person of open and sound mind. The title was inspired from an episode of 'The Punisher,' and the artwork is relief sculpture from Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo by Gustav Vigeland. When I saw this piece while visiting Oslo in 2017, I was immediately drawn and fascinated by the work, so I took a series of pictures knowing I would use them in some manner in the future. The image and title just worked for me. The music itself is chaos, mixing many styles of metal into one sitting. I wanted total mayhem for the guitar solos, so I called on Metal Mike Chlasciak, who also I jam with in another project. I could not be happier with the results, which are my personal musical to the subject matter.”

Order Virtues Of The Vicious on CD and limited-edition blood red vinyl here, and here (including bundle options).

Led by Lopes (who designed the album’s cover art and music videos) and guitarist Jon Morency, Let Us Prey incorporates numerous subgenres of metal into their style while still sounding organic. The group's adventurous music sees elements of thrash, death, power and progressive metal meld seamlessly with industrial samples and symphonic keyboards. The drumming is surgically precise and blisteringly fast without sounding mechanical; the guitars mix crushing, down-tuned brutality with dense harmonies and ripping leads; and Lopes shifts effortlessly from thrash/death metal growls to soaring melodic vocals and searing Halford-esque highs with layered harmonies.

Virtues Of The Vicious - the follow-up to Let Us Prey's 2016 EP, The Saint Of Killers - was recorded by Nick Bellmore (Hatebreed, Toxic Holocaust, Five Finger Death Punch) and Pete Rutcho (Revocation, Havok, Bury Your Dead), with the latter also handling mix and mastering. In addition to Donais, the album also includes a number of notable guest musicians, including “Metal” Mike Chlasciak (Halford), Jimi Bell (House Of Lords/Autograph) and the late Oli Herbert (All That Remains).

Tracklisting:

"Above The Vaulted Sky"
"Virtues Of The Vicious"
"In Suffering"
"Halo Crown"
"Murder Thy Maker"
"The Saint Of Killers"
"Ghost Echoes"
"The Cruel Creation Of Me"
"Prey"
"And Hell Followed With Me"

"Ghost Echoes" lyric video:

"The Saint Of Killers" lyric video:

"Halo Crown" video:

"Above The Vaulted Sky" video: