Anberlin fans were saddened at the band's disbanding in 2014, following the release of their seventh studio album, Lowborn. But what many thought was the end of this great alternative rock band turned into an eight year hiatus that further sharpened the band's prowess. The guys then released two EP's in 2022 and 2023: Silverline and Convinced, respectively). And then, came Vega.

Vega, when looking at it point blank, is basically a reshuffling of Silverline and Convinced, with the addition of two new songs featuring Memphis May Fire lead singer Matty Mullins on lead vocals. But upon further examination, it isn't a compilation of the two EPs with two new singles; this is the order in which the songs were intended to be, and I am content with this order.

The album opens with "Animals," a catchy riff-roaring tune questioning our primal humanity ("Animals, animals/ Are we ruthless creatures after all?"). "Seven", featuring Mullins, is definitely one of the hardest songs on the album, with soaring guitars and hard-hitting drums. The song totally brings you into this whole new vibe of the album, which is different from the previous EPs, "Touch of the knife/fully collide/slowly enter the Vega era now." "Circles" is a slow-building rock piece that (while featuring eerie childs vocals) has a banger ending, with the band just rocking out. This, to me, is true Anberlin, where it can be a banger and they can still have fun. "Lacerate" is a fun little rocker, with Stephen singing how he can't move on unless he cuts someone off, "My heart can't break holding your memory/so Lacerate, Lacerate." It's one of my personal favorites off the album, and shows off the more fun side of Anberlin.

"Nothing Lost" is another great song from this record that shows the more hopeful side of Anberlin, "Say nothing is ever lost," while keeping its gritty feel. "Walk Alone" is the second Matty Mullins song on this album and, although it's not my favorite, it definitely has a good message and some good guitarwork in it. "Two Graves" is another one of the hardest tracks on this record, and definitely reminds me of earlier records, such as Lowborn or Blueprints for the Black Market, with the guitarwork and message of not holding onto revenge ("If you want revenge/then you should dig two graves"). "Decoder," while one of my favorites, does sit more as a filler track, among others like "Banshee" or "Body Language," but is still a very energetic song that hits hard after coming off of "Two Graves" ("Anyone but you/devotion lies and truth/cannot just say it's over/complicated decoder"). "Asking" is a radio-friendly song that slowly builds into a fire rock song ("Am I asking too much/or do you feel the same"). "Nothing More" closes out the record with a romantic ballad ("There's nothing more to say/there's nothing more to do/to make me love you"), that leads into the sounds of waves crashing along the shoreline.

Overall, Vega shows a band who has matured their sound over eight years of being away, while still delivering a quality record that I will not hesitate to listen to on repeat. This might be the best work Anberlin has done in a long time, and it will be on my list of favorite Anberlin albums for sure.

Review date: 8/1/25, written by Jo Broniste for Jesusfreakhideout.com