Being independent of temporary trends and the chains of time  is a luxury that just a few musicians can afford. Among those endowed with a similar veil of resistance is the Norwegian black metal band VEMOD, which, apart from its characteristic sound and proximity to the Trondheim scene, is known to fans precisely for its artistic freedom and independence from external influences and pressure – a decade is just a number for the musicians when  it comes to perfecting a new work. Meticulous and fully committed to the authenticity of the process, VEMOD recreate their sonic paintings through fine craftsmanship and go through their metamorphoses with a broad sweep and a fascinating mysterious cloak of new ideas.
There is hardly anyone in the black metal circles who has not drifted along the cold  atmospheres of VEMOD at least once over the years and has not been impressed by their emotional and harsh appeals floating among the sonic northern lights. The band’s analog debut ‘Venter på stormene’ is still reverberating through space, 12 years after its release… and that’s no accident at all.
And while it was slated for 2018, VEMOD’s new dose of northern magic will be released a few years later , on January 19th – just a week away, with ‘The Deepening’ being a frankly fitting title for what’s to come and unfold slowly  within the 48 minutes of  overwhelming melodies…
The album opens with a reference to the previous album in the analog intro „Mot oss, en ild“ with clean ethereal guitars, which seems to have been taken from the session for „Venter på stormene“. After about a minute the sound transitions into the album’s opener, „Der guder dør“, which greets us with a clearer and more polished production, and while the characteristic edge of the band’s music retains, it’s immediately clear that the album will show a different side of VEMOD – still fascinating,  but definetely different. The song is dynamic and variable in tempo, with the vocals brought forward in the mix and sounding more aggressive than ever, given the space to mature in the mind and then dissolve into the instrumental.
Mind-wrenching, muffled distorted fast riffs with reverbs carry over into „True North Beckons“, where Eskil Blix’s expressive vocals intertwine with powerful harsh instrumentals pulsating with pure Nidrosian fury.
Simultaneously reminiscent of the old VEMOD we know, the piece opens a portal to the trio’s new dimension – a dimension that feels more direct and immersive than anything the musicians have done to date. If you’re expecting the band’s typical atmosphere from the previous album – forget that right now and open your minds to something much more expressive, fiery and introspective. While the tracks on the previous album were largely ambient oriented and made us soar among the northern landscapes in weightlessness and carried us away to the rhythm of the cold atmospheres, here the approach is more provocative and complex in terms of composition, touching the ear in a different way and leaving a different mark on the listener. In the song, we can also hear an interesting instrumental part, in which the familiar dreaming visions  are interwoven with short breakdowns and beautiful rock riffs, strongly reminiscent of the 60’s hypnotic influences, finally swept away by furious shrieks and fast instrument parts. I don’t think I’ve come across such a combination and it sounds amazing. One of the most beautiful strange things I’ve had the chance to hear so far.
After the intense experience of ‘True North Beckons’, Jan Even Åsli’s ethereal choral chants appear as a gentle veil of light in the bridge-serving ‘Fra drømvenes bok I’. Although under two minutes and without any accompaniment, these a cappella vocals are part of the band’s signature and heart, and as they slide all around your headspace, you feel like you’re in a sacred shrine, offering you views from  beyond dimensions. Believe it or not, I’ve played this song over twenty times alone off the album, and it will most likely become a permanent part of the aural element of my daily meditation.
After the last harmony dies down, rhythmic synths take off in the direction of an ethereal and a bit stirred up  instrumental with a progressive rock-oriented approach, interweaving with fast drums and a variation of guitar riffs, combining rock, atmosphere and psychedelia with particular finesse. „Inn i lysande natt“ is a deviant song in its own, it doesn’t contain harsh vocals and feels like a challenge to the listener without being obnoxious – on the contrary, the song carries away, like Åsli’s impressive synths and choral interludes are among the highlights to which special attention can be paid.
On the final track, „The Deepening“, each element of VEMOD’s new work flows like a wave through the mind and intertwines with the others in ebb and flow. It sounds like a symbiosis of ethereal clean vocals, fast-paced black metal instrumentals and mind blowing vocal calls, echoing among pulsating drums and creeping atmospheric guitars, storming from a passage of melancholy and flashing rock guitars into a fiery scream. In its 16-minute length, the song goes through a number of metamorphoses, starting at the ninth minute (9:09) with a monstrous instrumental with a thick wall of cold riffs and drums, interwoven with devouring expressive vocals that you feel with every pore. Slowly this solemn wall takes on an even more powerful depth with the help of mesmerizing riffs, synths and choruses… taking you into your most profound tenderness. And this journey slowly ends with beautiful synths and whispers, inviting you to go down even deeper, to open your eyes to beautiful new horizons…
Have in mind that you won’t find everything from the old  VEMOD  in „The Deepening“. Yes, they are here, the heart is the same, you will repeatedly feel bridges to days gone by, but the gaze is fixed on much farther latitudes and carries the breath of change within itself.
With less wintry atmospheric soundscapes than the band’s previous work, the new title weaves together more raw energy and emotional charge, while at the same time you’ll find plenty of new-to-the-band old-school progressive rock elements that harken back to eras that no longer exist and act as a time machine.
You may think that these things are incompatible, but presented in the particular way by VEMOD, they provoke  curiousity and in their own way feel uplifting, inspiring.
The musicians themselves say that „The Deepening“ is a chance to look beyond all your long-held beliefs and comfortable illusions, and I consider this album a good example of rising above the transience of such dogmas and barriers to authenticity and the natural course of things. It would be a beautiful process for a „deepening“ to occur in the here and now dimension, and for the pulse of the world to begin to beat a little faster, with more passion, to stop spreading  fear of change and act against its own nature.
In this line of thought ,  VEMOD pulsate to their own rhythm. Not subject to trends, the trio goes through its new metamorphosis and shows unfamiliar colors from its artistic palette. It’s a beautiful experience to immerse yourself in the wave provided in these six pieces of pure exression, which include and explore  blackgaze, progressive rock, black metal and other avant-garde influences. „The Deepening“ is  a symbol of transformation, exploration and discovery – it’s up to you how deep you dive into it.

Favorite songs: „True North Beckons“, „The Deepening“ и „Fra drømmenes bok I“

You can hear two of the songs from the album:

Album: „The Deepening“
Band: VEMOD
Label: Prophecy Productions
Release date: January 19th, 2024
Pre-order : http://lnk.spkr.media/deepening.