On the debut album by
VAST
, titled
Visual Audio Sensory Theater
, the listener is introduced to the many talents of one
Jon Crosby
. With its roots in
Nine Inch Nails
-like soundscapes and reminiscent of
Type O Negative
's mellower moments, the ingredient that sets
apart from its contemporaries is
Crosby
's experimentation with samples not yet touched upon in
rock
music. Some of the material sampled on the debut includes
the Bulgarian Female Choir
and
the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Mauer
, plus the use of an actual 18-piece orchestra, to boot. The album is an intimidating listen the first time, but the rich textures created are quite impressive, with standout tracks being
"Here,"
"Touched,"
"Temptation."
Lars Ulrich
of
Metallica
has praised the album as "one of the best debut albums I've heard in a long, long time," and lovers of ambient electro-
will undoubtedly agree upon hearing
. ~ Greg Prato