There must be something in the air of late – darkness and gloom is permeating the world of rock and roll in a more obvious manner these last few months and it’s in bands such as Soror Dolorosa, Beastmilk and Vaura that this melancholy resonates. It’s almost pertinent to note that all of those acts have a history with much more extreme genres of music but all have, for some reason, wandered over to the side of sadness and embraced the cold, dark waves of modern goth. Vaura have, among their ranks, a member of Gorguts (Kevin Hufnagel – guitar), Toby Driver of Kayo Dot (bass) and they are lead by the ever busy Joshua Strawn (Blacklist, Religious to Damn – vocals, guitar) along with drummer Charlie Schmid (also ex-Religious to Damn); it’s clear, though, that despite their backgrounds, all four musicians share a love for the sounds of the gothic movement.
The Missing is the second full length effort from the band and contains many a nod to their combined metallic history. Drums are quite the heady affair, with blasts curling around Strawn’s deep, knowing voice and giving Vaura’s music that little something extra over their peers. Rather than going for an all-out gothic affair, their sound takes in little mysterious turns and inflections that pay homage to the members’ pasts while bringing new life to Vaura’s place in the modern goth world. Guitars follow an almost black metal progression at times during the first track, “The Missing,” with tremolo picking and sweeps akin to Hufnagel’s Dysrhythmia project, yet at its heart is a sensual, overwhelming sadness. “Incomplete Burning” – which you can see live, below – ebbs with a beautiful melody that lodges in the brain for long after you’re done listening and the small solo that creeps into the break is as full of sorrow as anything by the Cure or The National. The post-punk drumming on display certainly gives it an Joy Division-esque aura which follows into “Mare of the Snake” with an air of authority and more than a shade of late 70s/early 80s worship.
“Passage to Vice” rolls in waves of gloomy doom and kicks into wonderful Depeche Mode-style vibrations before “Braced for Collapse” drifts back into post-punk territory and bass-heavy magic for only short periods of time ahead of Strawn’s sudden bursts of shouting during the chorus. It’s a nice diversion from the usual sorrow-driven passages that the band have perfected on The Missing and serves to show their multi-dimensional talents, and this heavier aspect of Vaura’s sound seeps into the noisy bluster of the penultimate “Abeyance.” It’s very different to everything that has preceded it and this time around, Strawn’s voice takes a back seat and sits quite far below the instrumentation. It may be the only misstep on the record, and despite hitting near the end, it does interrupt the flow a little.
“Putting Flesh to Bone” soon allays any fears that Vaura has lost their minds and the curious spoken word, electronically-glitched vocal might seem strange at first, but give it time – the track pans out into fantastically morose landscapes. Vaura wear their hearts quite openly on their sleeves, yet their love for the darkness is never trite and it doesn’t feel forced or insincere; rather, it feels honest and true to their musical roots and joys.
The Missing can be ordered from Profound Lore and is recommended because damn, look at that packaging (artwork by Terrance Hannum of Locrian).
New Comments