Helping the World to See

The new VEHEMENCE has been one of the most eagerly anticipated albums of this year, at least in the metal circles I hang out in. Considering the buzz, its no surprise I reacted pretty strongly when I finished downloading the promo of this new one. Unfortunately, the reaction I had to this album was not a good one, as I immediately knew it would not meet my expectations.

“Helping the World to See” sounds very similar to VEHEMENCE’s last offering, except I find, it’s not as good. Many of the complex melodic structures off VEHEMENCE’s second album “God was Created” have been reduced, leaving an album that sounds basic and flat. Sure the album still is a blend of melodic black metal guitar work, death metal vocals and death metal drumming, but the way these songs are composed are very basic, and do nothing to really stimulate my mind, the way some metal can.

While the musicianship on this album doesn’t do much for me, it’s the production quality which really turns me off. This album has some of the flattest, shitty, production around. I mean the album just sounds like it was recorded in a box. If the production on this album was more clean and open, this album would be A LOT better. VEHEMENCE are the type of band that need a great recording. Some bands, black metal in particular, can have a shitty ass recording and the album will still sound good, but VEHEMENCE have a complex style that demands a vast open sound, to really be appreciated.

For those that are still interested in this album and just want to know what exactly VEHEMENCE sound like, imagine a mix 1/3 DISSECTION riffing, 1/3 VITAL REMAINS riffing, and 1/3 basic HATEBREED type chug, and you have a good idea what the guitars sound like (doesn’t sound bad eh?). Then take the vox of some 16 year old singer who has no vocal range, or variety, and make him growl like a wanna be Glen Benton, then throw in some basic death metal drumming, and you have an idea what VEHEMENCE are doing.
The saddest part about this album is that, VEHEMENCE prove that they have immense skill when it comes to playing their instruments, particularly guitars. Several songs like "Kill for God", "You Don’t Have to be Afraid Anymore", and "What Could go Wrong", have some bitching guitar work, and really sound good at these points. Yet VEHEMENCE butchers there abilities with too many basic filler riffs, shitty drumming (or at least it sounds shitty), poor vox, and poor production.

All in all “Helping the world to see” is certainly not a pooper album. It has some exciting attributes, and occasionally reaches pristine fields, yet the overall quality of this album is lacking, making it a hard album to sit through all the way, and an album that I will scarcely listen to, (except maybe the song "Kill God", which is a stand out track; despite the fact that the demo of this song that I heard nearly six months ago sounded way better)