By Avinash Mittur
Don’t call VHOL a supergroup. The members of this special band have been friends and peers for years- to them, this is more than likely just a fun long-term project. For the rest of the world looking in though, it’s hard to see this band of truly remarkable individuals as anything but a ‘supergroup’. Guitarist John Cobbett managed to write one of the greatest American black metal albums ever, The Tenant by Ludicra, and a near-masterwork of modern progressive metal in Hammers of Misfortune’s 17th Street. Every musician even halfway serious about their craft wishes they had the skill, passion and discipline of bassist Sigrid Sheie- a university professor from 9 to 5, and a bassist/keyboardist/vocalist/flautist for a handful of great acts whenever she pleases. Aesop Dekker needs no introduction; the man was the drumming powerhouse behind Ludicra and has been ably propelling Portland, OR’s Agalloch since their breakthrough release, Marrow of the Spirit.
Then there’s Mike Scheidt. The one man wrecking crew behind YOB has literally nothing left to prove to anyone- when you write a comeback album as amazing and transcendent as The Great Cessation, you’re more or less immortal. It’s amazing then that VHOL is such an unassuming release. It’s seven tracks of straightforward blackened d-beat thrash with no pretense. It’s a no-frills, Celtic Frost tattoo-on-sleeve headbanging journey and is a phenomenal debut record from a band that deserves to be around for years to come.
The cinematic arrangements that graced 17th Street or Marrow of the Spirit’s sense of artistic worth are nowhere to be found on VHOL. Opening track ‘The Wall’ wastes no time in getting the blood flowing, and the first vocal that Mike belts is a Tom Warrior-esque ‘ugh!’ Throughout the album Mike uses the full scope of his vocal ability, alternating between a new blackened thrash shout, death growls and his one of a kind high pitched ghostly wail. Aesop’s frantic, off the rails drumming is on display in a big way here, as is some surprisingly old school black metal tremolo riffing. John’s riff-writing in Ludicra was of a more swinging and rocking variety- there were always roots in NWOBHM and ‘70s Priest to be heard. This style of playing returns on ‘Arising’, but more often than not John expands his palette into thrashier and more grim territory. Sigrid’s massively distorted bass tone offers a nod to Voivod’s ‘blower bass’- on the spine shattering ‘Grace’ she gets a quick spot to shine and her playing is surprisingly aggressive throughout VHOL. The performances on this album are outstanding all around, and the energy brought to every one of the songs is youthful and wild-eyed in a manner that baby thrash bands could only hope to match.
As odd as this may sound, the one act that even remotely resembles VHOL’s sound may be L.A.’s Witchaven. There’s less of a thrash element to VHOL though- where Witchaven’s Henry Montoya grew up with Destruction in his Walkman, Aesop was spinning Discharge on a beaten up home stereo. The production on this record matches the air of mold and crustiness that permeates the album. VHOL’s claustrophobic mix serves the album well enough, but it is a far cry from the expansive avalanche that was The Tenant. Like that masterful album though, VHOL is a startlingly consistent listen from the get-go; the only lull comes in the final three minutes of ‘Set to Await Forever’ with Mike’s demented crooning sitting atop restrained playing from Sigrid and layered arpeggios from John. It’s a bit of an underwhelming end to an album that fires on all cylinders for nearly its entire duration. Those preceding forty three minutes may just be some of the best blackened d-beat thrash we’ll hear all year though. ‘Grace’ in particular is almost like the logical sequel to ‘Circle of the Tyrants’: the track’s unrelenting energy and drive is just too damn cool, as is the L.A. hardcore-meets-blackened-Hammers rush of ‘Arising’. These songs don’t sound like the band members trying a new style for the first time either. The tracks sound lived in and confidently assembled. Having the instrumental rip tide of ‘The Wall’ barge in with no warning is proof of that alone.
Fans of John’s signature harmonies will find plenty to love in ‘Insane With Faith’ and ‘Plastic Shaman’, but don’t go into this album expecting anything remotely close to Hammers of Misfortune, Ludicra, Agalloch or YOB. VHOL is an entirely new beast of its own, ready to gnaw off the flesh of whoever dares to cross it. That being said, this record doesn’t pretend to carry the same grand designs and ambitions that the aforementioned acts brought to every one of their records. These are seven neck-breaking slabs of crusty, swinging, dark heavy metal- nothing more, nothing less. It remains to be seen if this band will attempt to scale the heights reached by their past achievements, but for now VHOL rips with a righteous fury. If they can come close to matching this record the next time around, it’ll be a superb achievement. If they top it, the heavy metal world will be in for a very rude awakening.
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: Profound Lore
Release Date: April 16th 2013
Track Listing:
The Wall
Insane With Faith
Plastic Shaman
Grace
Illuminate
Arising
Set To Await Forever
Links:
facebook.com/vholatile