Review: “Self Titled” by Vexing (6th Anniversary)

Six years ago, back in 2017 Denver Colorado Progressive Sludge Metal trio Vexing created the blueprint for their bleak and ominous debut album “Grand Reproach” that was released via Ordovician Records in May. All three cuts rear their collective heads like the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future on the album in re-imagined form with drummer Jeff Malpezzi reinterpretting the work of the man he replaced in the band Grayson Newberry. So what does the echo of the past sound like when compared to its future replacement? Well, this self titled affair is labelled as a demo and as you might expect, it sounds raw around the edges but it wasn’t recorded on a smart phone in the centre of a practice space or a potato in a cave. Instead it sounds like the tape trading works that were offered up in the 80’s, not as crisp or clean as you’d want but rammed full of nostalgic charm…

An extended instrumental introduction with a bass melody bleeding out from underneath dissonant guitars brings the visceral darkness of opening cut “The Invisible Hand” before the caustic vocal surfaces like a beast from the black depths. A tale of betrayal at the end of a long running façade, it is one that will resonate with anyone who has found that the truth is stranger than fiction. The dirge laden main riff is straight out of the playbook of bands like Botch, building a nauseating sense of tension as it plays out ably assisted by the powerful rhythm section to create what is a masterclass in how to create atmosphere. The baton is passed to “Blunderbuss“, an equally dark tale of anguish and despair with lines like “I must be courageous enough to try and fail” set to a soundscape soaked in Black Metal influences. Again resonating, the sheer grit and integrity of the piece is magnificent, as is the eclectic solo that offers a moment of odd time signatured vibrancy in an otherwise ominous sounding tune live and direct from a basement torture chamber hell. That leaves “The Mold” as the third and final piece of the puzzle of which the qualities are obvious and have been pieced together perfectly in “Grand Reproach“. The evolution of the songs is perhaps more obvious with this one than the others, although it is clear that each one has been developed in its own right. Bleak and crushing, the catharsis from this confession prevents madness dwelling as the beast is unleashed while the rhythmic gymnastics of some of the more technical moments border on early offerings from The Dillinger Escape Plan. If you haven’t already had the pleasure, this is the perfect accompaniment for the bands current album [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. The Invisible Hand
2. Blunderbuss
3. The Mold

“Self Titled” by Vexing is out now and available over at bandcamp.