The comparisons to that band are gonna be inevitable so might as well just get them out of the way now, right? Elephant in the room: 2 of the 5 members of Vended happen to be the offspring of 2 of the 9 (Is it still 9???) members of a little band called Slipknot. Facts. Are there bits on the Des Moines collective’s debut that are similar to elements found over the course of 25 years of that other band? Of course! Which is probably the case with a number of up and coming artists in the Heavy genre these days. And yeah, we might have had to check more than once that Corey Taylor wasn’t guesting on a number of tracks here because when it comes to clean vocals? You can definitely tell that Griffin Taylor is his father’s son.
But that’s it! If you didn’t know any of that going in then you’d be free to take Vended for what it is: An unbelievably solid debut from a band that’s definitely spent time honing their craft (According to their band bio: “After crafting an artistic identity for two years, Vended emerged as a terrifying creative animal, tightly coiled and ready to strike.”) to create this collection of kickass Metal songs. And personally, we’re album people and while we’ve dug the singles released up until now we pounced when we read that a full-length was on the way.
The aptly titled “Intro” starts this new sonic tale following several singles and one EP release beginning in 2021 (None of which appear on here save for 2023’s “Am I The Only One”) and quickly flows into the catastrophic cacophony of “Paint The Skin” that takes longtime fans and unaware newbies into the primal, vicious, surprisingly anthemic and fast world of Vended’s sound with drummer Simon Crahan acting as the catalyst with some fierce stick work.
“The Far Side” is the best kind of clusterfuck representing both a sort of defining sound for Vended but also flying a flag for the legacy that Taylor and Crahan are bringing forth with this new chapter of their own art tapping into the rawness of that iconic Roadrunner Records debut combined with the all out fury of 5 with some truly gnarly guitar sounds out of Cole Espeland’s leads and Connor Grodzicki’s guitars. “Am I The Only One” is relentless with Jeremiah Pugh’s bass playing kicking things off before a massive sounding Taylor brings the noise leading into another mesmerizing chorus and following a brief interlude (The quirky, upbeat Dresden Dolls-like instrumental “Going Up”), it’s back to going ballistic with banger “Nihilism” featuring some crushing mosh pit fodder and catchy call and response verses.
“Pitiful” is slower but no less shreddy, “Serenity” succeeds with a shining chorus that’ll stick with listeners long after the album has ended, and “Disparager” is a crushing headbanger’s delight. Crahan’s percussive prowess is on full display throughout “Where The Honesty Lies” as Taylor belts out another epically hypnotic chorus on the last big ditty to break 2-minute mark ahead of a 3-pronged aural attack that begins the Vended finale next.
Almost like a package deal or a burgeoning bombastic bundle if you will, the last three tracks flow from one into the other ending the Vended debut album like a glorious Heavy Metal mixtape! After “Ones’…” ups the atmosphere, “Downfall” enters the chat with a blistering reminder of the inherent visceral intensity within the Vended machine and one (sic)k Crahan drum solo that leads toward a tonal but no less tumultuous time change and eventually the vibe of “As We Know It” with Espeland and Grodzicki’s monster riffage finishing it all off.
Vended arrives on September 20th and you can pre-order and pre-save your copy now by heading here. For more from Vended, including already scheduled dates opening for Slipknot alongside Knocked Loose as well as headlining shows featuring Wristmeetrazor and Lie, follow the band across the interwebs by clicking here, here, or here.