Album
Type:
EP
Date
Released:
March 19th
2015
Label:
When
Planets Collide
Galactic
Triceratops - Track Listing
1. Sally's In Love
2. Megaton's
Telethon
2. Galactic
Triceratops
4. Heterodyne
5. Don't Poke The
Bear
Members:
Owen Street -
Bass/Vox,
Mathew Ham - Drums
Bio:
Dumping any
preconceived notion of what a contemporary two-piece should sound
like firmly on its over-coiffured nut, South Wales’ V A I L S deal
in a strain of uber-aggro melodic sludge, notable for both its punk
aesthetic and consummate musicianship. Operating in the Venn diagram
set where early Killing Joke intersects with The Melvins and Torche,
‘a one-two beast of balls-heavy animosity’ was the received
wisdom of Sludgelord, and it’s hard to disagree.
Bassist Owen Street
and drummer Mathew Ham turned a few eyes and ears on last year’s
demo, seamlessly locking in like distant twins on the propulsive
Fuckpuncher and riff-strong Snake Falls Show All. Now, with a few
incandescent live shows under the belt, they launch their first EP
proper – Galactic Triceratops on When Planets Collide on 30th
March. Recorded by Joe Garcia (OM, Temples Festival) and mastered by
Nick Zampiello (Converge, Isis), the band has channeled their sound,
their groove and their drive into a quite remarkable proposition.
Review:
V
A I L S are a Punk/Noise/Sludge/Stoner Duo have just released their
superb debut EP - Galactic Triceratops - which is released by When
Planets Collide. For a duo V A I L S are extremely loud. If you're a
fan of Big Business, Torche and High On Fire then these guys are the
band for you though V A I L S offer a more direct punk based
attitude.
Opening
track - Sally's In Love - is a fast-paced offering with the band
playing noisy and in your face style Punk based Sludge/Stoner Rock to
hold your interest. The song could be classed as a romantic love song
though only if your partner is a fan of Noise Rock with a dash of
Sludge/Stoner Metal to get them fully into the romantic mood. The
vocals remind me of Big Business though that's no bad thing as they
do the job superbly well.
Second
track - Megatron's Telethon is a brilliantly clever and exciting
track that shows how creative V A I L S actually are. As the band
offer fast-paced and high energy volatile Stoner Rock carnage with
enough power to give Optimus Prime an intergalactic headache never
mind inspiring Megatron into starting a telethon. As you can tell, V
A I L S have a passion for all things Science Fiction as they explore
some crazy and wild ideas that gives their debut EP a very addictive
quality. The EP is a very bass heavy affair as there isn’t a lead
or rhythm guitar I sight. As V A I L S band members only play Bass
Guitar and Drums respectively.
Third
track - Galactic Triceratops – is a more direct Sludge/Punk Rock
song that maybe too jarring for some to experience. The rest of us
will enjoy the hard-riffing delights that V A I L S have created
here. If Big Business ever did the soundtrack for a Transformers
movie then this is the twisted result. Fourth track - Heterodyne - is
perhaps the loudest song on the EP. It's a very messy and noisy
affair and I mean that as a compliment. As the band mix ambient
noises with bass heavy riffs that shouldn't really work but the band
pull this off with style and ease.
The
final song and possibly the EP's standout track - Don't Poke The Bear
– is another heavy rock and roll affair that sees V A I L S throw
everything in the air for one crazy ride. It can become very trippy
at times as it has moments of dark twisted Psych Rock vibes. The
drumming is superb through out as it becomes the main focus of the
song. V A I L S offer a drone/ambient experience for the last 90
seconds or so. It brings the EP to a rousing and exciting finish.
V A
I L S have managed to create an excellent debut release and one that
will see them go far within the UK Sludge/Stoner Rock scene. V
A I L S are one of the more exciting duos I've came across recently. Hopefully V A I L S can build upon this EP and offer a full length
record to match the crazy and superb ideas that Galactic Triceratops
holds.
Do yourself a favour and check this out now. You owe it to
yourself. It's
available to buy now on BandCamp Buy Now and CD via When Planets Collide.
Words
by Steve Howe
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