ALBUM REVIEW: The Great Suffering – Vain Valkyries
After two promising EPs, VAIN VALKYRIES have finally put out their long-awaited debut album The Great Suffering. Made up of two brothers, their music is entirely self-released which allows them the freedom to explore a range of styles and genres from hardcore to metal to grunge, with some rock ‘n’ roll thrown in, and with that all combined they have made something incredibly unique to them and them alone.
As the album opens with Resolutions things start off on a rather eerie note with a deep bass track followed by what we assume to be a choir of some sort. It leaves you imagining some dark, dingy location and draws you in as you wonder what’s to come next. Suddenly, bam! Metal instruments kick in and you find yourself jumping out of your skin, but almost immediately you switch to involuntary headbanging to the now fast rock track. But it doesn’t end there as the track effortlessly switches between different styles of nu-metal to alt-rock to screeching instruments and back again. It’s only the first track yet the bar has been set high.
Some might worry that things will go downhill from here with such a statement made within the first song, but VAIN VALYKRIES never once slow down and continue to impress with all ten tracks on the record. As the album continues with Eyes Won’t See we see how they incorporate blues rock into their sound. It’s reminiscent of something like ROYAL BLOOD but it barely has time to settle before the band shift to industrial rock like that of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. One thing that you’ll immediately notice is the high quality production on the vocals and instruments that beautifully compliment each other, and it just makes the effortless switch into different genres all the better.
We could go into full detail about how each song plays out but that would take a while. So, in a short but sweet version, highlights include the pure filth and distorted sounds in Daily Dose Of Fun that see a return to the creepy atmosphere established at the start; the sentimental yet dark and intriguing What Is Perfect Is Dead that gradually builds before reaching that satisfying breakdown; and penultimate track The Gathering which brings about a return of the British rock influences in that of ROYAL BLOOD and MUSE.
The only part we can really criticise is album closer Damsels In Distress where the opening notes sound a little too similar to SUM 41’s Pieces which, while not an entirely bad thing, isn’t great when you’re tempted to belt out that song’s chorus and harmonies instead of listening to the track itself. But, hey, it’s not a major issue and it’s all forgotten once they switch styles again meaning that we’re back listening to VAIN VALKYRIES, not SUM 41.
Overall, this is an almost flawless record that never stops giving. One can only imagine how insane this would be live, watching in person as VAIN VALKYRIES beautifully merge genres and make everything completely their own.
Rating: 9/10
The Great Suffering is out now via self-release.
Like VAIN VALKYRIES on Facebook.