EP Review: Virtue In Vain - Nothing Is All I Am (2026)
- Stuart Ball
- 22 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Written: 11th January 2026
Welsh deathcore / metalcore trio Virtue In Vain have been steadily building ever since their formation. Exploring different aspects of the human condition, the band have previously released For All You Know Is The Mask I Wore, which focussed on a loss of identity and Dusk // Dawn which portrayed an anarchic descent through an unimaginable terrible night. This upcoming EP – Nothing Is All I Am – completes the trilogy with an unflinching examination of discovering resilience and new purpose in the aftermath of profound internal upheaval. In the bands words, “Each track represents different emotions, from panic attacks and unrelenting anger to catastrophising, and the torment of replaying your failings. This EP dives deep into pessimism and self-reflection.”
Opening track Split begins with thirty seconds of a pulsating heartbeat and swirling noise that gradually increases in volume before it all falls away and we are left with the sound of someone gasping for breath. Suddenly, a maelstrom of guitars and drums are unleashed and all hell breaks loose. Split only lasts for another sixty seconds following this but it is a fittingly incendiary introduction that aims to grab you by the throat and hold on with rabid vengeance. Throughout the EP, Hywel Thomas’s vocals are searing and untamed, moving between metalcore and deathcore. Here, he hurls the lyrics towards us with acidic intensity. He channels the raw intensity of panic attacks, capturing the overwhelming sensation of emptiness and numbness. Static veins / Fill up my lungs, needles below / I can not breathe / Closing in / Vision Fading, loss of control / How did I become like this?
Blood Eyes begins with volcanic arrhythmic riffs from guitarist Mason Williams. Thomas changes between death growls and metalcore shrieks and this can, on occasion, make it feel as if there are two singers and two styles in conflict such is the rate of change. However, his frenzied approach to both is to be admired and it certainly mirrors the lyrics which delve into unrelenting anger and inner anguish, confronting blame and shame with a sense of destructive inevitability. Fabricate the horror, fixate on the pain / Dissect, what's beneath, with nothing to gain / Did you see it coming? Can you sense the end? / When it all ends, I will be condemned. The ending of the track is pure slow deathcore: abyssal and molasses like in its movement.
Between Reflections and Silence – which takes place in the mind of someone haunted by relentless inner voices and pessimistic thoughts - adopts a similar approach in attitude but brings some variation in the use of synths and clean vocal sections, further illustrating Thomas’s capabilities as they effectively intertwine with his ophidian gutturals. These voices lead my mind astray / Every road is a death sentence / Broken, looking for a way / Between reflections and silence. It is an illustration of Virtue In Vain’s willingness to experiment and bring range to their combustive sound.
Echoes explores similar lyrical territory, vividly portraying the torment of replaying personal failings. It plays with tempo but for the most part is an unrelenting pummelling. Often, Thomas is singing the same vocal line repeatedly, which can feel like an extremely unpleasant hammer to the head after a while - an effect the band might well have fully intended.
The EP ends with The Wilt and I, which in many ways is the most interesting track. At various points, it makes use of poignant piano, sometimes on its own and sometimes in the background floating behind some seriously aggressive and wrathful riffs and vocals. The virtually ambient central section – which is reprised as a coda at the end of the song - gives a brief reprieve before the trio attack once more. The Wilt and I shows that Virtue In Vain are expanding their songwriting and it will be interesting to see if this takes them to different musical territories in the future.
Nothing Is All I Am concludes Virtue In Vain’s trilogy on an EP that thrives on intensity and purpose. While it does draw on familiar deathcore and metalcore tropes, it uses them with confidence and a clear sense of identity. There are moments of variation such as synth textures and piano interludes that suggest future melodic possibilities, even as the trio remain committed to their aggressive core. It does not necessarily break new ground but what it does, it does with a vicious conviction through bleak themes, crushing riffs and vocals that leave no room for compromise. For listeners willing to embrace its darkness, this is a powerful statement and a fitting continuation of Virtue In Vain’s journey.
Nothing Is All I Am is released in 23rd January 2026
Virtue In Vain online