siLLy puPPy The Australian progressive metal band VAUXDVIHL only released one full album “To Dimension Logic” in 1994 and offered a midway point between the 80s Queensryche metal sound and a grungier alternative metal sound that was dominating the 90s. After the release of the album guitarist Frederic Leduc and bassist / keyboardist Edward Katz immediately left the band to pursue greener pastures leaving founder guitarist and vocalist Fab Gallen with the dilemma of whether to continue the his band that had been plagued by so many difficulties. Despite all trials and tribulations he opted to continue on and release two more EPs. SIBERIAN CHURCH RECORDINGS was the second of these short releases but contains two tracks from the “96 Demo” that debuted the new sound that jettisoned most of the 80s influences in favor of more dark and sinister sounding industrial bleakness.

SIBERIAN CHURCH RECORDINGS is a short but surprisingly startling set of only four tracks that only clock in at 14 minutes and 22 seconds but manages to include a diversity of cold, dank and emotionally draining tracks. “Plots, (To or F) Are Necessary Thing?” starts off with the tintinnabulation of church bell and then eerie ambience ensues for a while and then becomes some grungy type of metal. Despite jettisoning the Queensryche and Fates Warning influences such as the high register vocals and progressive metal type guitar riffs, there are still plenty of progressive time signature changes although it is now on a down-tuned and more dreary soundscape. “ISIS / PEKT” becomes even stranger as it has a frigid industrial ambience with a bass and drums and tinny guitar sustain before power chords erupt behind the electronically processed vocals. It becomes more energetic and sounds a lot like some of Enslaved’s more progressive newer albums actually. “Movement” is a slower piano based track that has a dreadful atmospheric haze that is punctuated by heavy drumming and dirty guitar and bass. It’s also quite progressive and brings darker progressive metal bands of the 21st century to mind. “Summoning” is a short little dark ambient track that creates some hellish sound effects and tortured monster type utterances.

SIBERIAN CHURCH RECORDINGS is a short but effective slice of darkened progressive metal with industrial bleakness and makes me wish they would have released a full album of this type of material. Even though it’s completely different than their previous releases it’s quite an interesting listen and better than the previous “Vog” EP. No need to hunt this down on its own. This one can be found along with “Vog” as bonus tracks on the 2014 expanded release of “To Dimension Logic” in a nice double album package with freaky photos and lyrics in the included booklet.

siLLy puPPy The Australian progressive metal band VAUXDVIHL only released one full album “To Dimension Logic” in 1994 and offered a midway point between the 80s Queensryche metal sound and a grungier alternative metal sound that was dominating the 90s. After the release of the album guitarist Frederic Leduc and bassist / keyboardist Edward Katz immediately left the band to pursue greener pastures leaving founder guitarist and vocalist Fab Gallen with the dilemma of whether to continue the his band that had been plagued by so many difficulties. Despite all trials and tribulations he opted to continue on and release two more EPs. VOG was the first of these two final releases that came out four years after their debut following their “96 Demo” which was a promo to showcase their new musical sound. The band was down to a duo with Gallen handling the guitar and vocals while Chris Deloy continued on drums and picked up keyboard duties as well.

In contrast to their debut, VOG has a much darker and sinister feel to it as it is dominated by eerie and frigid atmospheres and electronic percussive beats accompanied by heavily distorted guitar and bass sounds that sound like a much more metal version of Skinny Puppy actually, however the compositions are much more progressive as they not only meander through the full industrial metal assault with raging angry shouted vocals but also have softer ethereal passages with clean vocals that echo and reverb to infinity. The production on VOG is particularly pleasant as sounds sort of slide off into infinity while others pick up and overlap. Tracks like “Assassination” include piano and heavy symphonic backgrounds that overpower the metal aspects that get pushed to the background. There is also a touch of Gothic mysticism in the feel of the album although there are never any Dracula inspired vocals found in bands like Type O Negative for example.

VOG is a mixed bag actually. While it is always admirable for a band to expand its horizons and try something new, this new sound seems a little scattered at this point and i wish that they metal aspects had more prominence than they do. While some of the heavier parts are quite satisfying, some of the softer parts resonate along for too long and don’t develop any sort of satisfying crescendo. The electronic percussion can be a bit too much as heard on “The Funeral Party” and at points like this with weird electronically processed vocals it begins to sound more like something that would have been heard on “The Matrix” soundtrack with big beat hardcore breaks that remind me more of bands like The Prodigy than any type of metal act. While i find all the tracks to be interesting, there is a clear lack of cohesion between them as they all sound disparate and crying out for some sort of continuity. A decent release but not as interesting as the followup “Siberian Church Recordings.” Both VOG and the following EP can be found as bonus tracks on the 2014 re-release edition of “To Dimension Logic.”

siLLy puPPy After releasing their debut album “To Dimension Logic” in 1994, VAUXDVIHL founder Fab Gallen was left to pick up the pieces after two members went on to pursue other musical endeavors and without their influences Gallen was free to pursue his own experimental path which led him out of the world of 80s Queenryche type of metal and into a darker form of progressive alternative industrial metal. He released 96 DEMO in 1996 and was a prequel to two EPs that would showcase this new more sinister sounding style. DEMO 96 contains only three tracks and was released independently on cassette assumably for promo purposes. Two of the tracks (“Pilots” and “Isis-Pekt”) would find a home on the 2001 release “Siberian Church Recordings” which left only the track “Alienation” never to find a home on any official release.

The track “Alienation” is the opener and is a heavily brutal industrial metal track with heavily distorted guitar and bass with depressive vocals and bleak ambient background. While it tends to sound a lot like a more metal version of Skinny Puppy at first it changes into a type of progressive metal sound that reminds me of Enslaved’s later albums with clean vocals. The other two tracks follow suit with the same type of intense build of an industrial wall of sound with extra emphasis on murky distortion feedback that resonates with higher pitched key sounds sustaining in the background. Overall this is a really decent sound that VAUXDVIHL moved on to and proved that their 80s vs 90s sound on “To Dimension Logic” wasn’t just a gimmick but that they could master both decades with ease.

siLLy puPPy The 90s was a strange period for metal bands especially in the earlier part of the decade when 80s bands were jettisoning their respective styles in droves in the hopes of fitting into the new “alternative” universe that caught them off guard when grunge stole the show. While many 80s bands would just call it a day, many popular names like Metallica, Extreme and Queensryche would totally drop the sounds that made them popular and jump onto the alternative metal bandwagon but never really fit in with their 90s contemporaries. VAUXDVIHL was a unique act from this time period in that it actually pulled off the perfect tightrope act of balancing 80s progressive metal with the darker more Gothic alternative side of the 90s. The band was founded in 1992 by guitarist and songwriter Fab Gallen in Melbourne, Australia who formed his band at the perfect time to cross-pollinate the possibilities of progressive metal with alternative and developed the fusion style he lays out on the band’s debut release TO DIMENSION LOGIC.

This album shows off the obvious progressive leaning metal bands of the late 80s with Queensryche and Fates Warning instantly coming to mind with the high register vocal style of Gallen and the jittery off-kilter time signature jumps and the overall complexity of the compositions. There are also moments that bring Dream Theater’s “Images And Words” as an obvious reference point as well, however for all these obvious hero worshipping elements, the music on TO DIMENSION LOGIC is infinitely darker and has a murky grey cloud lingering over it much bringing darker worlds much like the album cover suggests. While there are plenty of proggy metal riffs complete with virtuosic solos and complex leaps of chord juggling, VAUXDVIHL add a thick layer of atmospheric mood altering ambience to their sound. This is especially true on the slower acoustic passages and the segments with whispered female vocals.

In addition to the progressive metal compositions and brooding atmospheres, there are snippets of psychedelia where the music lapses into heady meditative arenas where acoustic passages and swirling sounds seem to randomly deviate from the regularly scheduled program but always find the perfect resolution to keep the music from getting too “out there.” TO THE DIMENSION is a woefully off the radar progressive metal release from the 90s that seems to have gotten buried under the sheer power of the heavyweights of the era. VAUXDVIHL had all the chops and Gallen’s songwriting skills are quite sophisticated for a debut album. Despite a strong debut album, trouble would soon be afoot and three members of the band would depart. Gallen would regroup and release a couple more EPs in the coming years but would steer towards the gothic and industrial rock arenas. TO DIMENSION LOGIC however remains the pearl in their oyster and is highly recommended for fans of Fates Warning, 80s Queensryche or Psychotic Waltz who like a little more dirty grit added to the mix.