ALBUM REVIEW: Render – Valis Ablaze

VALIS ABLAZE are a fantastic advert for the underground music scene in the UK. Despite having not yet achieved significant international status, the five-piece have ascended through the ranks and garnered a strong following on home shores, establishing themselves as one of the UK tech metal scene’s most beloved acts along the way. Their most formative epoch, however, has predominantly occurred within the last few years, with a duo of releases and a handful of tours rapidly propelling them into acclaim. In a musical climate often fraught with fragility, the band have also maintained an impressively consistent, upward trajectory spanning to the present day, as they prepare to unveil sophomore album Render. VALIS ABLAZE ooze maturity and professionalism, but the notoriously tricky second album can be a cruel mistress.

But, as it happens, the very idea of pressure and expectation is dispelled pretty much instantly. Render races out of the gate with Neon Dreaming, a bold, bright introductory track with pace and energy. A groove-laden intro allows the listener to promptly acquaint themselves with the album’s ultra-clean, punchy mix, as the familiarly groovy, TESSERACT-inspired sound makes its grand return, kicking the album off in style and setting a strong precedent for the journey ahead. Phil Owen‘s epic, angelic clean signing proceeds to saunter delicately over the mix, as groovy rhythms and ambient leads collide to form a rich, detailed soundscape – a wall of sound effect that ceases only to allow playful hooks and an infectiously catchy chorus to take centre stage in its stead.

Its a sound that represents warmth and vibrancy, and one that doesn’t cease to evolve as the album presses on. Single and second track Hollow Heart is adorned with all of the above whilst also offering what is perhaps the record’s most epic, grandiose chorus section, proving to be a truly fine display of Owen‘s deft and tasteful writing ability; one of Render‘s more glaringly amplified features in comparison with previous releases. Another of the pre-release singles, third track The Convincer retains all of the ambience whilst establishing itself as one of Render‘s heavier tracks, the crux of the song being a crushingly heavy, down-tuned and subtly polyrhythmic breakdown, offering a poignant reminder of the band’s metal roots. Even more pertinent at this stage is the remarkable balance at play on this record, with soft, progressive sections often meandering for several minutes at a time only to devolve into devastating heaviness. In a way, this has always been VALIS ABLAZE in a nutshell, but Render offers this in its truest, most refined form yet.

This strong sense of taste and balance continues to protrude. Ascent maintains all of the familiarly epic characteristics whilst keeping things fresh with the introduction of some harsh vocals and a mind-bending guest solo courtesy of guitar wizard Sam Bell. Similarly, epic ballads Saturation and State of Decay are placed strategically to act almost as interludes, allowing the record to breath a little more, and Elevation offers another guest appearance in the form of White Dove, injecting the delightfully silky, soprano effect of a female singer, once again broadening the spectrum of this eclectic album. To top things off, seventh track Proxy is thrown into the mix, acting as Render‘s most ‘poppy’ divertissement, again showing off the sheer range of what VALIS ABLAZE are capable of, and also proving what can be achieved with an astute clean singer as the centrepiece.

Generally speaking, Render is a masterclass in patient, tasteful songwriting. Moreover, it proves what can be achieved when an outfit step back, identify their greatest strengths, and refine their sound. Though it must be acknowledged that all the key characteristics of prior releases still remain (most notably Ash Cook‘s groovy riffing, Tom Moore‘s ambient leads and tapping sections and Phil Owen‘s majestic singing), what makes Render so special is that these elements appear in their most tasteful, stripped-back form yet, and still allow the art to remain as the top priority.

VALIS ABLAZE are already an accomplished outfit, but Render feels like a colossal step up nonetheless. Once recognised for their uncanny resemblance to fellow countrymen TESSERACT, this outfit are now a different beast entirely, not anchored to any genre in particular, but resting somewhere in between metalcore, djent, post-metal, rock and pop. Render exerts all of this with exquisite, delicate balance, and ultimately makes for an enthralling, arresting listening experience. That international stage may still be yet to come for VALIS ABLAZE, but if quality of output is any indication, it should now be right around the corner.

Rating: 9/10

Render is set for release July 19th via Long Branch Records.

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