VEMOD — The Deepening (review)

Album · 2024 · Atmospheric Black Metal

3/5 · 2024-02-04
siLLy puPPy

Perhaps one of the least prolific bands in the black metal biz, VEMOD, presumably named after the Anekdoten album, emerged from the frigid Norwegian city of Namsos as early as 2000, managed to crank out a demo in 2004 but waited all the way until 2012 to finally get around to a bonafide album, “Venter på stormene," which mixed an eerie atmospheric black metal with space ambient etherealness. While not exactly conquering the world, the band made somewhat of a splash on the world’s stage but then sorta fell off the radar presumably becoming a one and done act.

But it’s become obvious as of recent years that bands that haven’t been heard from since the 70s are resurrecting from oblivion and cranking out new material so i guess in the big scheme of things 12 years isn’t an incredibly long time especially when you consider all the side projects the members are involved in. THE DEEPENING is the band’s sophomore release and finds the band finding a second life in the 2020’s crowded metal market. Up one member from the previous release with J.E. Åsli [Jan Even Åsli] (bass, guitar) and Eskil Blix (drums, vocals), THE DEEPENING welcomes E. Kalstad on bass and synthesizers and the band sallies forth into the modern world to try to regain lost momentum from a decade plus long absence.

VEMOD describes its sound as dark ethereal metal as it lacks the bite of traditional second wave Norwegian black metal and sort of puts the black metal on the back burner and let the ambient atmospheres lead the way as if the Aurora Borealis itself was leading the troops into battle. An odd sorta approach but not one that hasn’t gone untested in the modern laboratory of music making. The album in many ways relies as much on post-metal monotony as it does tremolo guitar heft although for the most part the guitar parts are jangly and even tinny in their high-pitched tendencies. The music gallops along but it’s not a thundering roar of a herd of horses but rather of a prancing pony. The music lacks a certain bite that rubs me the wrong way.

Somewhat of a blackgaze sounding album, VEMOD often prefers clean progressive metal style vocals rather than adding some black metal creds with raspy tortured pleas. The gruff vocals that do occur sound more like they belong in the death metal camp than the lands where Darkthrone and Emperor emerged. The album itself is only of six tracks at over 48 minutes with the closing title track slinking past the 16-minute mark. Generally speaking the band is very formulaic with ambient fueled intros that lead up to heavier riff chugging sessions that repetitively ratchet up the tension. The atmospheric embellishments are always half the equation and unfortunately snuff out much of the impact of the black metal exuberance.

For all intents and purposes, THE DEEPENING is the classic case of checking off a list as it lacks any originality and pretty much sounds like the perfect example of a cookie cutter atmospheric black metal album of the 21st century. While properly executed with competent musical skills, unfortunately this is an album that just never seems to go anywhere that you didn’t already prognosticate. In fact the whole thing seems lazy and all the more disappointing considering a 12 year period of crafting an unforgettably creative album that delivers all the goods while bedazzling you with at least a thread of something new. Black metal by the books is what we have here. Decently done but ultimately forgettable. The choir parts are nice though.