Self Released - 2024
6/10
For many years now, Vanik have been a key staple to my spooky season spins, especially the second record Dark Season, the latest release when I found them. Their next record may have been a step up in objective construction, but it was a step down in memorability. Naturally, IV comes out and and I immediately scoop it right up wondering if it will expand on any of that. But then I thought, how much can you really expand on this?
Maybe some of it is my taste evolving, and I'll never grow tired of unrelenting speeds with nothing overly unique, so long as it delivers with some kind of identity. Unfortunately, said identity is the issue with Vanik, leaving only that generic heavy/speed metal bottom that's evident across the disc. Their brand relies way too much on the Halloween themes and a spooky aspect that specifically feels like it was written for a campy horror film, and that's only going to leave an impression once or twice. Thus, IV comes across as just another disc of the same serviceable stuff we got on III but without the hint of going another direction.
If you like your horror-drenched effects and straightforward, crunchy riffs, you'll still feel right at home. There's always been a magic to the hints of melody, which you can find plenty of as well. Chant-choruses that repeat quite often over pummeling rhythms is still the name of the game, and howling vocals that combine clean and gruff are still the star of the show. "Infernal Infection" is admittedly a catchy tune, being carried by a decent chorus and probably the strongest solo; impressive, considering this is one of the shortest tunes. Yet, even with this obvious theme sticking the tunes together, it's tough to overlook the jarring shifts in tone, which shows next in "Devoured Melody." Immediately, this jumps to deeper chugs with a far more menacing undertone, topped with thicker bass and harsher vocals. None of these are a bad thing, but the way it runs together is as smooth as a seventh grader flirting with girls at his youth group. As the disc progresses, you'll find much of the same idea chopped up and presented differently, and despite its short length, I find myself wondering how much longer it's going to go on.
No, the irony is not lost on me that I'm complaining about things that I enjoyed in earlier iterations of this band's output, but I think it's a case of the trick wearing itself out, or like a joke only meant to be told once. Obviously you can only take this so seriously, but Vanik's spooky brand of coarse heavy/speed metal hasn't evolved from into anything interesting. For a hot minute, it was lots of fun with lots of raw edge, but it leaves much to be desired these days. Maybe this should have remained a one-off side project of Midnight (which was always sorta a side project in and of itself, but that's a conversation for another time).
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