METALLIAN - Vehementor

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Reviews

VEHEMENTOR – DUNGEONS OF GROTESQUE SYMMETRY – SATANATH
This is one nifty extreme metal morsel courtesy of the ever productive Satanath Records and one that hails from Macedonia. Now, normally, when one reads about Macedonia, metal is not the first thing that comes to mind and even if metal is the style of the band in question it is typically of the fake variety. Bands from that part of the world typically incorporate so much ethnic garbage that the end-result is fodder for the usual 90/100 ratings from the usual websites written by the usual writers… in other words, the bands and their music suck. Fortunately for metal fans, and the band’s dignity, Dungeons Of Grotesque Symmetry, is superior and burns any and all poser acts with Kaval and Tapan on the pyre.
Reaper begins the album and has a nifty riff, which establishes the band’s Bolt Thrower-cum-Carcass sound. The vocals, in particular, are reminiscent of Karl Willets. The tempo suddenly accelerates and it is a brutal delight to hear. Lay Low Stay Down begins with an unusually commercial sound, but fear not this is Vehementor. Notorious’ strumming is Fade To Black or something, while Cursed Sensation is the brutal metal’s answer to Star Wars. The groove of No Way belies the track’s speedy and brutal metal riffing. This could have been a bad track, but Vehementor has none of those. Hate is next and is likely the album’s weakest cut. It is rather technical. The album’s last cut is called Burden and is a mid-paced thrasher.
The band benefits from its riffs, sense of attack and dynamism. The fake tom sound does the band no favours however. That is probably the only con here. Overall, get this one.- Ali “The Metallian”

Interviews

To get to North Macedonia’s Vehementor one has to first figure out where North Macedonia is. Take out a map. Travel agents cannot help, you see. Once the country has been located take a Turkish Airlines cattle prodder (no offense, all airlines are cattle calls these days. People with dignity drive) from Istanbul to Skopje. Don’t forget to not buy anything in Istanbul. The prices for foreigners are x5 what Turks themselves pay. Once in Skopje take a bus to the city’s bus terminal, which is 15 minutes away. From there take a bus to Kicevo, which is 90 minutes southwest. Get off at the station and walk 15 minutes south. Get to the main square and haul out your shovel. The band is underground. Very underground. Dig 3 storeys at least. There you are. You can speak to the band about their one and only album, Dungeons Of Grotesque Symmetry, which was issued by Satanath Records back in 2019. Alternatively, you could read the interview Ali” The Metallian” conducted with guitarist Nikola Pejoski and found out that the act is indeed inactive. – 15.01.2021

METALLIAN: It is nice to meet you Nikola. It is good to get some ventilation down here. Vehementor is a new discovery for Metallian Towers and, likely so for many fans of our visitors. Could you fill us on the band's background?
NIKOLA: All the members have previously played in other bands so we know each other for quite a long time. Since our hometown is a small place it wasn't difficult to meet and start a new and fresh metal band. We all play music since early childhood.

METALLIAN: Could you name those previous or concurrent bands?
NIKOLA: Some of our previous bands are: Darko’s Crimson Sunrise from Skopje, Ljupco’s Raven from Kicevo and Zoran’s Hardfaced from Ohrid. Active bands we are still in are Darko’s Sincrest from Kicevo, Zorn, Ljupco and my band Melissa from Kicevo and Ljupco’s Hardfaced from Ohrid. Zoran and Ljupco also work on their solo projects. Zoran is a multi-instrumentalist and Ljupco has an album called Anubis.

METALLIAN: Where does the monicker come from and what does it mean?
NIKOLA: Vehementor is meant to be harsh, gruesome and intense. We hope we are expressing our feelings through music in that way too.

METALLIAN: Could it be that he is unsure of the monicker’s origin? Regardless, it looks like the album is the band's only release. Were there any releases before? If not, how did Satanath hear of you?
NIKOLA: Yes, this is Vehementor's only release. It was we who contacted Satanath Records. The previous releases of the band members with other acts had something to do with it...

METALLIAN: in that case, what about the album’s title, which is a little bit of a mystery. Could you explain that?
NIKOLA: Mysteries can't be explained!

METALLIAN: This is suspicious. Could it be that he has not been told regarding the title for, in fact, most mysteries can be explained! Regardless, let’s talk about a couple of songs. Cursed Sensation sounds like it has adapted the theme from Star Wars. Have you noticed?
NIKOLA (smiles): No, we haven't noticed that!

METALLIAN: Well, there you have it. Could you say a few words about Metallian’s favourite track, Reaper?
NIKOLA: The nine songs on our album are placed in the same order as we composed them. Reaper was made in a couple of minutes. We thought of it as a ‘warm-up’, a catchy tune that was made to lighten things up. We still think that the album progresses as it goes further on.

METALLIAN: Incidentally, the album is released by two labels. How does this arrangement work and how did you arrive at it?
NIKOLA: We actually don't know! The idea was hatched by Satanath records and since this is our first release we didn't have the opportunity to choose or have a lot of say.

METALLIAN: So how old are these songs? With no demo it is difficult to guess. Also, the songs sound mature so was there any older songs that the band did not use for the album?
NIKOLA: All the songs were composed in a short period of time in 2013 and 2014 except for the last track Burden. We composed and recorded that one separately in 2019. The making of the first eight songs simply and actually came by jamming together and co-expressing some brute energy that needed a way out. Dungeons Of Grotesque Symmetry as a title and the lyrics depict our state of mind at that time.

METALLIAN: If so are there any other songs from 2014 to 2019? If yes, why were they not included in the album? If no, what has the band been doing in that period?
NIKOLA: No songs have been composed or recorded during that period. The band has mostly stagnated. We got stuck with other things. Nikola moved to Sweden and it is actually a miracle that we finally finished the album in 2019.

METALLIAN: Speaking of countries, the band hails from North Macedonia. This may be a new name to many readers. Were you personally in favour of or against this new name for the country?
NIKOLA: We wouldn't like to mingle politics with music.

METALLIAN: That is your prerogative of course. With that said, artists have been articulating politics and social issues for centuries. Speaking of Macedonia, it is a relief at Metallian Towers that the band does not feature ethnic instruments like many groups do nowadays. How do you see the use of ethnic instruments in 'metal'?
NIKOLA: We are four members in Vehementor and we do have quite different ideas when it comes to the final product. However, mixing ethnic instruments with metal music doesn't sound opportunistic to us at all.

METALLIAN: We agree. What is next for the band? Any news or propaganda to share?
NIKOLA: We don't have any plans. It is quite sad that we didn't have the chance to promote the album or go on a tour. It would be great if we find the time and the energy to do that soon. Maybe a new single or a video... One of our members is living in Sweden since 2014 and that has been the main obstacle for arrangements and future plans.

METALLIAN: It is sad as your album has a lot of potential. As you, your family, your friends and everyone in North Macedonia knows Metallian is the ultimate website in the universe. Why do you think that is?
NIKOLA: We are so glad therefore that Metallian found out about us and we will make sure to promote the site.

Singer Darko Nasteski, interview partner Nikola Pejoski, bassist Ljupco Stefanoski and drummer Zoran Stefanoski can be found collectively https://www.facebook.com/VEHEMENTOR-558208834224949/. The band’s sole record is worth a purchase for fans of death and thrash metal.

If you enjoyed this, read Bolt Thrower

Vehementor