Vital Remains suffered from several line-up changes throughout their career. The only original member left is rhythm guitarist Tony Lazaro.

In the early years Vital Remains were one of the few Death Metal bands to wear corpse face paint on stage.

3 ex singers died in the space of one year: Jake Raymond (vocals in 2001, died in 2018), Chris Ross (vocals between 1996 and 1997, died in 2017), Scott Wily (vocals between 2008 and 2012, died in 2017).

Sanford, Florida police officer Andrew Ricks appeared on stage with Vital Remains for the track “Let the Killing Begin”, as depicted on this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdGQut-Eao). He was in his uniform at the time because he was on duty at the time patroling the venue. Initially it was said he was fired for neglecting his duties by police chief Cecil B. Smith, yet later on Ricks stated he had handed his resignation earlier.

Guitarist Tony Lazaro, is the first to be endorsed by Yavcon guitars and designed his own model known as 'the Crucifire', which consists of a three-way laminate neck-thru with inverted cross inlays, and maple wings.

One unconfirmed online story about ex-drummer Rick Corbett has it that he could not keep up with the speed the band's material requested, so they asked him to record a sampling that was later accelerated. Ricky then left or was fired depending on the source. Dave Suzuki, who had been practising using ankle weights auditioned playing "Immortal Crusade" exactly as on record, thus earning his place in Vital Remains.

Ex-drummer Tim Yeung, who won the WFD extreme sport drumming competition, suffered very bad luck when all his cymbals and his case were stolen during a Vital Remains' performance at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.

On December 24, 2022, Natasha, Tony Lazaro's wife confirmed having reached the necessary amount on GoFundMe to cure her husband from his brain tumor.

All the lyrics are in English and for the majority deal with Satanism, occultism, anti-Christianity and death.

Mournful bell tolls were chosen to be the prologue of the album within the very long "Immortal Crusade". A furious attack by blastbeats and rapid fills occurs till an epic break with tribal drumming and no vocals, some guitar licks in the background. Then there's a neat cut to a different atmosphere by means of a slow Black Metal tempo based on cold and vicious vocals. This goes on until the reprise of the deadly epic structure completed by occasional atmospherical keyboards. VR then get back to their favorite kind of Death Metal with a mid-tempo and groovy drumwork, followed by a brief guitar solo, and later on a mono riff replaced by multiple blastbeats in the vein of Morbid Angel.
Then it is time for an almost Grind break made by a diverse more dynamic riff. The vocals become less guttural for a short while, and successively a telluric blastbeat sees the Death Metal purveyors restart, just before two further ultrafast blast-beats, ensued by an axe solo where some vocals are placed onto for a few instants. After this an unusual stylistic choice the last superfast blastbeat arrives and stays till the end, repeating what was expressed at the beginning of the track.
This is the longest, most sinister and elaborate composition of this album.

"Under the Moon's Fog" begins with wolves' howlings, peals of thunder, violent gusts of wind and lastly barkings. 3 hi-hat strokes and the blastbeat punches the clock; afterwards a riff on the path of Hate Eternal spiced with growling precedes the blastbeat and then a riff that interrupts and rawly changes the feeling throwing in echoes of the early Death. The song now employs a slightly clicky double bass part reminding an unstoppable tank marching on, then the previous riffs are reproposed, this time with two real demonic vocal layers. It is precisely here that the two sentences written in the digipak near the wolf and pentacle seem to show that Vital Remains do mean it and Jeff Gruslin appears hopelessly possessed. A diabolical breakdown alà Deicide prior to a slow riff so dear to the fans of "Eternal Glory of War" by Destroyer 666 are used in the musical recipe for a while. The song then develops a sudden interruption with a creepy riff similar to Mayhem's "Freezing Moon" which glacial keyboards are added onto a couple of times for just a sec before a fast guitar solo. VR then recur to a structure reminding the Suffocation of the golden years, a guitar lick and then one of those rocky blastbeats before repeating the Destroyer 666-like segment until the satanically majestic conclusion.
With this number the skill and taste of the drummer are exalted and it seems a fact that very few have noticed.

A brief piece starting its assault similarly to Malevolent Creation, "Crown of the Black Hearts" also includes a frantic Grindcore section preparing us for several Death Metal blastbeats in the wake of Morbid Angel. An annihilating riff pops out anticipating another series of alternated portions typical for Vital Remains (and Deicide), and only moments later, an old school riff floating over a blastbeat working as a pillar. The Grind part returns for 3 seconds more, and again we meet parts that were trademarks for Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal repeated in turns. The mastering leaves no time for taking a breath and suddenly a Morbid Angel-styled guitar solo is here, preceding traces of what Deicide did in their middle albums in a more organic manner, until an abrupt stop closes this loose cannon of hate.

A wonderful opening with slaughtering blastbeats (perhaps the fastest off of this record) until a heavily-compressed riff in mono in the first part of "Scrolls of A Millennium Past" constitute the prelude to another musical frame that took inspiration from Deicide and at the same time influenced them in the mid-90s. This splinter of the song is rich in two-tracked guttural vocals and violent screams. One more compressed mono riff and a blastbeat stressing out the bass lines arrive before another sliver for fans of Deicide. The compressed mono riff appears again preceding another blastbeat and a few rapid fills. Then a guitar solo reminiscent of the Death of the "Spiritual Healing" era is a needed variation before the abundance of rapid blastbeats and stops 'n' go that follow, until a Black/Death separation containing a touch of funeral march keys sets in. Hell is truly here and one more axe solo with a minimalistic development (see Morbid Angel) works to enhance the mood. Possessed low double vocals come before another guitar solo and rhythm changes, only to bring back the listeners the aura of Deicide. A rotten break and the last assault thru a machinegun blastbeat sit before a closing cemeterial slow Black/Death riff.

A scream kicks off the title track, a brief and lightning track borrowing ideas from Suffocation's repertoire utilizing a vast array of Death Metal vocal styles, matched with the initial scream, here repeated are enriched by pattern alterations and a shower of blastbeats. I find a following mid-tempo riff particularly intriguing, emprecioused by fast double bass like Broken Hope used to do so as to contrast with the said mid-tempo. One more superbrief axe solo, a handful of precise and swift riffs and blastbeats, even Thrash Metal beats and then a riff that changes everything, deviating the song towards Malevolent Creation's songbook. A guitar lick and then a last riff repeated stand until the final growling.

A cracking noise of something burning along with excruciating screams of people (or souls) burning opens "Descent into Hell" in a faithfully Dantesque way. Based upon canons that made Malevolent Creation popular, the composition prosecutes until blastbeats lent by Suffocation. For a few instants a riff moving in Immolation's waters appears between a set of blastbeats. Next, a breakdown catches the attention before a demonic blastbeat and the replaying of the Malevolent Creation-like riff enriched by some bell tolls like the ones heard at the beginning of the full-length. After all that, an unfailing quick axe solo, a break in mono with a riff similar to Deicide's catalog, more bell tolls and the Malevolent Creation-like riff shine before an attracting guitar plot, thrust before the reproposition of the above-mentioned elements till the abrupt instrumental arrest.
Just like "Descent into Hell", this song is based on speed and breakdowns.

"Angels of Blasphemy" proves to be again one step close to Deicide's headquarters until a real impressive acceleration comes. Assorted Trash Metal blastbeats together with demonically-effected vocals work taking it in turns with other solely guttural vocals. Then, a Hardcore riff throws in some variation intelligently giving us time to recover our breath prior to a Thrash Celtic Frost-schooled riff arrives, surrounded by unusual controlled drumming. Further fast parts follow, Thrash Metal vocal-wise, but decidedly Death Metal music-wise (Vital Remains/Deicide-explained again). I can only spend words of praise for the lunatic axe solo owing so much to Morbid Angel, ensued by effected vocals (let's say early Deicide-oriented), and then by guttural ones till the song ends.

The first bonus track is the cover of Celtic Frost's "Dethroned Emperor"; certainly distinguishable but more aggressive than the original, altho less perverted. The vocals are putrid when not guttural, transforming the track to one close to Asphyx's or Unleashed's material.

The second bonus track and last piece of the album is Venom's "Countess Bathory", here in an unseemly version devoid of growling, yet offering diabolical whispers in the central part. Nice is the part with the distorted bass in the finale and the growl in the closure.
Both of these tracks enrich the album with different moods, interpretations and therefore donating more variety in order to make it even more pleasant to listen again and again. They are inferior to the original ones, but still enjoyable in their own style.

This album has no particular value of any sort but it is worth a listen and probably a purchase if you liked the debut or have grown tired of the Glen Benton-era albums.