Review Summary: “welcome to terrors realm, where all is lost and never found”
Formed as a side project to the beast of the east, Boston’s own Vein took the local hardcore scene by storm with their 2013 self-titled Demo. The release’s sound drew inspiration from Converge and early Poison the Well coupled with a brilliant display of musicianship from the young four piece.
Vein decided to kick things up a notch this year with their follow-up EP “Terrors Realm.” The opening track “Ripple” begins with an eerie yet crushing bassline that ushers the listener into Vein’s newly constructed realm of terror. The high pitched shrieks provided by Anthony (Bassist) and the complementing growls from Matt (Drums) sound just as powerful and commanding as they appeared on the demo, but the unexpected contribution of “clean vocals” is the key ingredient to Vein’s updated recipe of ferocity and horror. “Clean vocals” in heavy music usually function as a way to add melody and catchiness to a song, but the discordant and moans found in “Terrors Realm” will leave you uncomfortable and frightened.
This release is overall more experimental than their previous effort as the guitar work treads unfamiliar and more melodic territory at certain points, but the tone remains relentlessly crushing and sludgy. Breakdowns make appearances but are used effectively within the context of each song and are meticulously planned out as opposed to existing for the sole purpose of a violent crowd reaction.
