Perth’s Vanta don’t treat melodic death metal like a nostalgia exercise. On their debut full-length Perpetual Selection (out March 13), the band lean into precision, atmosphere, and sheer velocity—but they’re just as concerned with meaning as they are with impact.
Today, we’re premiering the video for “Alchemy.”
If you come in expecting fantasy escapism, think again.
“We wanted Alchemy to feel like survival rather than fantasy,” says drummer Ferdi. “A reflection of chaos, brotherhood, and transformation in a world that feels increasingly hostile.”
Musically, the track hits hard and fast—razor-edged riffing colliding with blast-driven urgency and soaring melodic counterpoints. Fans of The Black Dahlia Murder and Inferi will recognize the technical snap, while the breakdown heft nods toward the metallic extremity of Winds of Plague. But VANTA’s strength lies in how they stitch those elements together—cinematic pacing wrapped around relentless forward motion.
Lyrically, “Alchemy” pulls imagery from Warhammer 40K—Space Marines, Tyranids, endless warfare—but what began as creative fuel quickly morphed into commentary.
“The marines represent unity and resilience in the face of annihilation,” Ferdi explains, “while the Tyranids embody the unpredictable, overwhelming forces that keep bearing down on everyday life. War, social collapse, exploitation. It all feels relentless.”
The video amplifies that tension. Rather than leaning into overt sci-fi aesthetics, it reframes the imagery into something disturbingly familiar. Authority figures fade into irrelevance. Institutions crumble. What remains is solidarity—the necessity of finding strength in each other when systems fail.
At its core, “Alchemy” is about transformation under pressure. Not the heroic kind. The unavoidable kind.
The band describe it as “kids growing up inside a post-apocalyptic reality—not a fictional one, but the one we’re already living in.” That urgency bleeds through every frame. There’s a sharpness to the performance and a clarity to the aggression; the chaos never feels unfocused.
Perpetual Selection positions VANTA as one of Australia’s most ambitious new heavy acts—balancing brutality with narrative intent, technical precision with emotional weight. “Alchemy” isn’t just a single. It’s a mission statement.
Watch the premiere of “Alchemy” below—and step into the fire.
