Vagina Vangi
Locked Forever
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New four track EP from this Russian witch house oriented outfit following their Benighted United ep from December that develops their genrefied themes and expands their sound onto a wider plane. The track titles elude to an end times of occult darkness, Biblical prophecies, of damnation fire and brimstone, the wastelands and castigations of Milton's Lost Paradise, Satanic themes wrought in cold electronics.
The four tracks of Vagina Vangi's new release almost run straight into each other, barely missing a beat before seguing your attention through smoky fade onto the next budding tendrils of euphoria. That is certainly what the music in the EP hopes to achieve, through a mix of chest bursting throat choking euphoric trance and a dissonant yet equally complementary and enhancing use of noise, distortion and disintegrative effects. The sounds draw comparisons to, if not direct influence from, the feral trance of Salem and White Ring and the more studied bleakness of Vortex Rikers and Porn Antler. There is a fullness to the construction of these tracks which enhances their designs to lift the listener up on to a higher plane.
The first track Black Coils sets this landscape out in as epic proportions as an opening gambit will allow; charred beats imposing themselves across a smoothly twisting rhythm, a disembodied vocal slowly coalescing into a liltingly delicate refrain suddenly solidifies into full throated flight along with a soaring megaton blast of fiery synths. Europop and dirty noise drone balled up into an explosive comet of momentum.
The four tracks of Vagina Vangi's new release almost run straight into each other, barely missing a beat before seguing your attention through smoky fade onto the next budding tendrils of euphoria. That is certainly what the music in the EP hopes to achieve, through a mix of chest bursting throat choking euphoric trance and a dissonant yet equally complementary and enhancing use of noise, distortion and disintegrative effects. The sounds draw comparisons to, if not direct influence from, the feral trance of Salem and White Ring and the more studied bleakness of Vortex Rikers and Porn Antler. There is a fullness to the construction of these tracks which enhances their designs to lift the listener up on to a higher plane.
The first track Black Coils sets this landscape out in as epic proportions as an opening gambit will allow; charred beats imposing themselves across a smoothly twisting rhythm, a disembodied vocal slowly coalescing into a liltingly delicate refrain suddenly solidifies into full throated flight along with a soaring megaton blast of fiery synths. Europop and dirty noise drone balled up into an explosive comet of momentum.
Second track Goatghosts brings a haunted male vocal straight in over a thick cable of electro throb, the melody line sputtering and shorting like the most delirious Justice tracks. A distinctly European sound of French filter house and chart trance. Behind the fizzing live electrical lightshow are layers of rising key major chord synth stabs that get overloaded even more on the title track Locked Forever which almost roars out of the speakers where it not for that drive-time smoothness it's been finished with – it works, it sucks you in then hits you with a slamming beat straight in the solar plexus doubling the density of the track instantly with the kind of shocking elation that a good drop should feed you, and the effect keeps running through the rest of its' five minutes.
Final track, of Chaos and Hell is a slow burner, holding down an overarching atmosphere of doomy intensity, employing oppressive minor chord progressions that move with studied intent, building itself up over the spine of a martial tattoo slowly reappearing from some dirty and distant skirmish accompanied by clouds of ominous synth tone. As this seething mass of darkness draws nearer the cavorting shadows of the the former tracks can be made out, yet in its' final moments this release never quite opens out into a fully unleashed four to the floor onslaught that it might have set you up for leaving you on the edge of a climax that is yours to interpret as satisfying or otherwise. For me, it's all the better for the restraint.
Final track, of Chaos and Hell is a slow burner, holding down an overarching atmosphere of doomy intensity, employing oppressive minor chord progressions that move with studied intent, building itself up over the spine of a martial tattoo slowly reappearing from some dirty and distant skirmish accompanied by clouds of ominous synth tone. As this seething mass of darkness draws nearer the cavorting shadows of the the former tracks can be made out, yet in its' final moments this release never quite opens out into a fully unleashed four to the floor onslaught that it might have set you up for leaving you on the edge of a climax that is yours to interpret as satisfying or otherwise. For me, it's all the better for the restraint.
If you like the sound of this keep your eyes on the blog, later today I've got an
interview with band leader Ilya Arhipov for you.
