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.
Mother of THE VOID.
Underground music is the ultimate weapon against mediocrity.
