VAK – set to release “Loud Wind” album via Indie Recordings on August 23, 2019 #vak
VAK IS BACK FROM THE DEAD
VAK is not a Norwegian black metal band, nor a Swedish death metal outfit, yet the band faced the real menace of death, but returned to life… During 2018, one member turned gravely ill from Lemierre’s syndrome and a thrombose in the head. There was no reason for naïve hope, anything could have happened. Fortunately, he recovered after being hospitalized in intensive care for more than a month, and when looking back he recalls: “I found myself in a type of situation where music can be of no help, although I at times tried to force away the anxiety with help from Sepultura or the B 52’s.”
Now VAK is back from the dead, presenting their second album “Loud Wind” through Indie Recordings, produced by themselves and mixed and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna). “Loud Wind” consists of a blend of different songs where each has its own distinct idea. The title track lyrics address a loosely organized network of rebel groups gathering to encounter in an uprising, which the power in charge only will experience as a forceful loud wind. The music is equally forceful and rebellious. Another highlight is the track “Freddie”, which is a tribute to the late Swedish singer Freddie Wadling. Guitar player Tobias Alpadie says: “His death was a great loss. No one sings like him anymore.” “Freddie” is the only instrumental song on the album and maybe also the most spherical one. The rest of the album is more direct, at times furiously pushing the pace like in the title track, and sometimes incorporating a heavy and brutal drill like in “Fear the Morning”.
The members of VAK have a rich background in various bands and genres, such as Switch Opens (ex. Fingerspitzengefühl), Misery Loves Co., Slowland, Råtta, Sesam, Gordon Fights, Music is the Weapon, The Field and Gösta Berlings Saga. This is a great influence of the band’s original sound. Robin Skarin on keyboards creates a mesmerizing approach to metal through the lens of his jazz background, drawing mainly from Keith Jarrett: “It would be interesting to hear Jarrett playing in a metal band and maybe that approach is what challenges me in the work of VAK.” Guitarist Ivan Rey’s input also stems from non-metal influences preventing VAK from becoming another boring metal act. He declares: “I was not really into metal before we started VAK, and I’m not into it now either. And I don’t think you have to be. The most important thing is how we together are able to release the energy significant for VAK.”
The sound of VAK is hard to grasp. Jesper Skarin, front man-vocalist and bass player says: “We would be happy to tell people how we sound, but it’s tough. It’s not that we try to be strange, and we aren’t that strange either, but when five guys like us with different inspirations collaborate in our democratic fashion, the outcome is unpredictable and not reducible to single styles. And we like that very much.” But if one wants to name inspirations, one could mention acts like Radiohead, Tool, Mastodon, Genesis, Kate Bush, Rage Against The Machine, Breach, Neil Young and Soundgarden. And this is essential: all five voices of the band are equally important, VAK is emphatically democratic in their process of creativity, and they also invited friends to a pre-listening session for input. Overall, VAK create a very rough blend of hard rock music, but with intelligence and humor. A listener who is smiling is a good listener. And this is exactly what drummer Anders Bartonek points out: “For me, laughter always needs to be a part of metal, I have always thought it’s very unserious to be too serious about creativity.” So, my advice is that you let VAK take you on their ride. You will enter foreign land. Your body and brain will be consumed. And it’s absolutely worth the effort of taking on something new!
Their next album “Loud Wind” will be out worldwide via Indie Recordings on August 23rd!
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