Vesseles
Home
(Independent)
2.5/5
The debut album from Santa Clara’s Vesseles tells a rich, interesting story with its lyrics. Unfortunately, it also falls prey to black metal’s most common sin: the vocals in half the songs are unintelligible. When the vocals do come through clearly, they are beautiful and poignant, but all too often they are garbled and, in effect, meaningless.
The production quality is high, and there’s no doubt that these are talented musicians who know what they’re doing. The issue lies in the songwriting itself. Symphonic black metal should transport the listener. You should fly high and dive low, carried by the wings of the music. Instead, I found myself zoning out, bored, as almost every song blended into a well-produced yet monotonous drone.
The album feels uninspired. Skill is obviously present, but nothing of substance is done with it. The majority of Home’s runtime sounds the same. It’s literally, as well as figuratively, one-note.
I would have loved to hear some bigger risks, to see some more creativity beyond the concept and the lyrics. Every song I went in excited, eager to hear what they would develop. And every song I left disappointed, having received nothing but more of the same tired progressions.
When every second tries to be epic and momentous, that feeling gets drowned in the din. Allowing the music to ebb and flow, to build and crash down, would greatly improve the overall tone and feel of this album.
In keeping with that, the standout song for me was the title track. The vocals are gorgeous, crisp, and blessedly different from all the rest. It was a lifeline in a sea of boredom that threatened to drown me. I wish it had lasted much longer.
If you are a diehard fan of symphonic black metal, you should check this out. It does the basics, and it does them tolerably well. But if—like me—it takes something special for this genre to really grab you, I’m sorry to say, keep waiting.