this world is going to ruin you

vein.fm

I sadly didn't give vein.fm's first full-length record all that much attention. I remember hearing some teasers and getting very excited about the chaotic blend of mathcore and nu-metal, but then the record came out and it kind of just breezed by. I can't even remember if I listened to the whole thing and was simply underwhelmed, or that the hype died down so quickly that it was a case of 'out of sight, out of mind.' That won't be the case for this new record though as I figured this would be one of the more significant mathcore releases to drop this year. Given the grotesque eyeball on the last cover, the burning, distorted house on this one, and the title this world is going to ruin you, I was anticipating a nightmarish and disorienting experience. For the most part, I got that, especially with the album's opening leg. Welcome Home immediately brings that sense of impending doom with very rigid blasts of heavy guitars, bass, and punchy drums. Then we seamlessly transition into an album highlight, The Killing Womb. I love the way the dissonant chords and drums hang, providing ample space for Anthony DiDio's washed out screams. In between these phrases, we get brief chaotic bursts of busy drums and scratchy guitars. The end of this track is crazy as the band goes into a series of punishing breakdowns, first starting out quite noisy with all the guitar pitch-shifting and high-pitched dissonance, and steadily becoming more direct and pummeling. Capping off this opening suite is the track Versus Wyoming, which is easily the most chaotic and disorienting blast on the record. One whole minute of relentless drums, tortured screams, and insane dissonant guitars that feel like you're being sent down the darkest rabbit hole, and we're just getting started.

Unfortunately though, the next leg doesn't really build off that tumultuous first moments. Fear in Non Fiction and Lights Out are not bad, but I guess the progression of these songs are a little less thrilling. I would also add that Geoff Rickly's (of Thursday fame) inclusion on the former feels a little out of place. A lot of DiDio's vocals are often mixed with some sort of filter on them, so when Rickly comes in with a barely processed vocal, it feels like a fish out of water. After these two tracks, the band tries to give us a chance to catch our breath with Wherever You Are. It is ominous and eerie with its repeating two note interval on the piano, but not interesting enough to fill two minutes.

Thankfully, the rest of the record is pretty solid. Magazine Beach explores more melodic, alternative metal territory with surprisingly good results while Inside Design - another one of the album's highlights - marries the bands chaotic mathcore style with some tasteful nu-metal elements like some stuttering vocal samples and some turntable scratching towards the end. The band saves their best almost to the very end though with Wavery. It's not the most melodically adventurous - quite stagnant really - but the way this song progresses has made me feel completely enamored with it. There is a clear progression in the vocals; beginning with angsty whispers, then incorporating full chest belts, then DiDio's harsh yaps, and then towards the end we get these more guttural yells. Instrumentally, as I already alluded to, the whole song hangs around this one chord but the band plays this game of 'do that again... but heavier' while simultaneously playing the game of 'do that again... but slower.' Heavier, slower, vocals increasingly becoming more harsh, it is amazing just how far the band can stretch this idea and craft an amazing journey.

vein.fm came through with a really good metal record. Sure there were a few underwhelming points and the seven minute closer is maybe not that necessary given how amazing Wavery is, but the band did try to explore some different sounds and styles instead of doing thirty minutes straight of utter chaos. I also really liked the production on this record. The drums sound massive, the guitars are really scratchy and aggressive, and I also really like the way the vocals were treated. DiDio's screams are quite harsh so using the filters to curb that definitely helps keep this record from being fatiguing. A bonus is that when those filters come off and we're getting the full extent of those harsh screams, it can make these more aggressive sections all the more throttling. Listening to this has caused me to kick myself for missing out on their previous record. I'll have to go change that.