Review Summary: Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day.
Bandcamp may not be a gold mine when it comes to top-tier hardcore records, but as it goes with most music sources, there are a few gems to be found here and there. Of course, finding such quality releases requires an extra dose of patience and dedication, but that’s what separates people with a passion (and somewhat decent taste) for music from those who are just content with grabbing whatever To Live a Lie Records crap out cheapest. The cover of
VVOVNDS’s self-released
Demo was the first sign of true success. My love for black and white covers is no secret, and this one, with its raw and disjointed edge, caught my eyes in an instant. And the music? Well, the music’s a whole nother story.
Ever seen The Grey, a story of a group of beaten oil workers fighting for survival in deserted Alaska? You should, because its unrelenting harshness is the closest I can get to properly describe this record. The riffs are the wolves, stalking every step of mine: ominous, ravenous and deadly. They will surround you when you least expect it and won’t leave until they get a piece of your flesh. There is nowhere to hide, nowhere to run; everything is hopelessly saturated in grim, with buzz saw riffing overpowering whatever desperate cries for help you manage to let out. Sometimes, the riffs rush at you at breakneck speed, sometimes they slow down and decide to crawl behind instead. It doesn’t matter which way they choose to come at you, it doesn’t matter if you scream, shout or beg: you are outnumbered, cold and alone. But it is not only the wolves that oppress you: they won’t take a step without the rasping, hateful, ear-piercing vocals announcing their presence. Your only choice is fire, but it’s soon obvious that it’s of no use as the deafening drums devour even the last bits of air that might have been there seconds ago. Hope is lost and you clench your fists, ready to lose the pointless fight with honor, hoping to enjoy it even more than them. Just the way they like it.
VVOVNDS are like mushrooms - kept in the dark, living off filth and decay. Their kind (the good kind) may be hard to find, but once you do, and you get to taste their unique flavor, you will not want to give them away. They won’t let you, anyway. There is NO escape from this.
