If you think that we have recently had new music from Metallica and the last one from Megadeth, neither of them get anywhere near this. It’s the sound of a band who have finally rediscovered what made them tick and have just gone for it.
This is due to their fusion of progressive rock, stoner rock and traditional Greek music, specifically from the Epirus region. Just as likely to use clarinet or bagpipes as a lead instrument as they are a guitar, VIC have become a band that are the future and the past of Greek music simultaneously.
Their new album Venceremos expands on Age Of Aquarius with a sprawling conceptual release concerning a dystopian future and a fight to reclaim hope and future, it’s ultimately about freedom and for a band who have covered traditional Greek songs of rebellion and resistance, these themes are well worn in the minds and hearts of the band.
Home begins the story properly after an intro, and it sets the tone for VIC as a band, layered polyphony where the riffs and drums are used hypnotically to drive the rhythms allowing the wind instruments to create the melodies and yearning vocals to deliver these impassioned lyrics. It’s a ritualistic beginning that bridges from Age Of Aquarius, psychadelic building blocks to set the tone.
The pace quickens on the swashbuckling folk metal of Ghosts In The Sky where the gallop of pirate metal is fused with synthy 80’s metal and simple “Run” chorus that has to be inspired by Pink Floyd. It’s something a little different, but not only fits the concept but presents this next phase for VIC, it’s also going to go nuts in a live setting.
Recorded and produced by Alec Karametis, Venceremos was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen and it has his clarity all over it, with the pace staying high on the hopeful Title Track as The Ruiner begins with a modulated bagpipe and goes back to the more progressive folk infused sound though keeping the atmosphere dark.
This feeling of heaviness translates not only to the way these songs are written, it’s probably the most downtuned and metallic VIC have been but also the overall feeling of this concept is heavy and ominous, No Fear hammering that home with the massive drum sound and plenty of thrashing blast beats.
Here And Now adopting the psychadelic grooves of the VIC bedrock with a prog rock epic that’s got some serious rock star credentials to it but then brought back to Earth with the pastoral sounds of the χωριό on Epitaph before the final chapter begins and we close this futuristic tale with 7+ minutes of Requiem.
The reformatting of VIC is completed through the futuristic western motifs of the final track and the genre pushing approach of the whole of this concept album, Age Of Aquarius introduced them to a wider audience, Venceremos defines the band Villagers Of Ioannina City are. 9/10
Playgrounded – A Flower To Water (Pelagic Records) [Matt Bladen]
Athens formed, Rotterdam based, band Playgrounded have been carving their own path through the forest of modern progressive metal for over 10 years and their third full length, A Flower To Water, their second in Pelagic Records, again evolves what they do with an even deeper exploration of sound and boundary pushing.
The five piece intersperse metallic heaviness with electronic ambience, progressive expression with the dissonance of the entire ‘post’ scene. It leads to music that can be introspective and audacious, the inspiration learned from patience and understanding past mistakes through grieving.
The journey of Playgrounded has brought them to this point as with every release these skilled musicians build on their foundation, instilling layers to each release as they fought with what they wanted to be as a band, always impressive but constantly in flux as to how to utilise all of their influences properly.
With their previous record they managed to lock down their definitive sound, through modern prog metal that combines post metal and industrial crushes, the synths and samples are vital to the cinematics and often oppressive approach Playgrounded favour.
This isn’t music to feel safe with, rather it’s an outlet for fear and discomfort, and A Flower To Water again drives these messages home but offers salvation, that even in the darkest depths a flower of release can flourish.
With this record Playgrounded play with silence, like the best composers, it’s the moments between the next passage, between the next note that often carry the most weight and the band isolate these moments to make sure they play a vital role.
Acoustic beginnings slow burn on A Flower…, that space audibly bringing a pathos that increases when the guitars get heavier and the electronics start to pulsate, carrying into the opening rush of Counting Embers which peels off into oscillating, low frequency rhythms and softly spoken vocals in the same vein as past tourmates Katatonia.
Through Someone the nocturnal presence of Trent Reznor can be felt, undulating blips, jarring guitar stabs and just general feeling of being uncomfortable is merged with the anthemic chorus, that unnerving throb remaining on the darkwave of Snow, acting as a conduit for the proggy Karnivool build on Of Air And Metals.
A Flower To Water closes out with …To Water the other side of the opener, bookending the record as this last track lets loose with all manner of glitches over the chugging riffs and yet more evocative vocal crooning, there’s no real closure on this track no massive expulsion of emotion.
That’s deliberate as on this record Playgrounded have used allegories from the natural world as ways to cope with intense emotions and fears, through cutting edge music that spans progressive and electronic music. 9/10
Game Over – When Darkness Falls (Scarlet Records) [Mark Young]
By rights, I should be onboard with this mob.
After all, it’s thrash that takes a lot of influence from Horror films and social issues, which has been one of the main pillars of this music since forever. There is nothing wrong with their effort here, it does everything you expect and want but there is something that is stopping me from really digging it.
On a surface level, I can appreciate the riffs, the speed, leads all day long, but it just feels too clean. Its precise, guitar work is razor sharp and when the leads break in, they come in exactly the right spot and are built to suit each song.
The opener is just the sort of start you would want to hear, Two Souls One Flesh all speed and bombast, quickly followed up by Break Away which has that fist in the air quality to it, underpinned by an undeniable 80’s vibe to it.
The issue is that it doesn’t thrill me the way that thrash is supposed to do. When I listen to Old school thrash, that thrill is still there, although its more of a muscle memory now. Its missing here, at least for me.
That lack of feeling is felt strongly on Fight For Your Mind, its build and ultimately its attack leans towards a lighter way. And I think that is the thing; The overall tone is off.
That tone stays in place right through which is unfortunate because once I’ve picked up on it, I can’t move past it, in much the same way that I only liked a certain sound of thrash growing up. Buts that just me, and you shouldn’t let that put you off here.
Unless you are cut from similar cloth. In any event, its 10 songs that know exactly what they are about, which is to make sure that each one has enough riffs, has a blinding solo so from that perspective its decent enough.
I’d rather concentrate on its relative positives as opposed to writing a snarky review when it isn’t warranted. What I would say is this is possibly tailored to those who like their metal a little cleaner than most. 7/10
