siLLy puPPy
The world of hardcore is an evasive beast indeed. Situated somewhere between the extremes of the noisiest reaches of punk and the most caustic extremism of the metal universe, tagging and defining these boisterous expressions of angst is about as easy as nailing a big blob of jello to the wall but yet despite the trials and tribulations, we still do our best to make sense of it all. Metalcore is one of those punky metal hybrids that loves to take the art of screaming with a dissonant raging background to unthinkable levels but sometimes actually latches onto the perfect formula as to how to add a spoonful of sugar to the bitter medicine that needs to find its way down the ole hatcheroo.
Boston’s VEIN.FM may have started out without the broadcasting modulation tag on but since its 2013 inception has developed its overambitious hybridization of metalcore, mathcore, post-hardcore and emoviolence. Yeah, these are noisy roads indeed with caustic metal breakdowns whizzing by at gazillions of kilos per second but then again, this ain’t yer granny’s music, buds! VEIN (FM) re-emerges in 2022 with its third album THIS WORLD IS GOING TO RUIN YOU and while the titular accusations may or may not be true, one thing is certain and that is that this album very well do so! Noise, noise and more noise! Oh this is the stuff head banging nightmares are made of!
Claims of this band adding some “accessibility” are somewhat founded but what exactly does THAT term mean anyways? Of course it’s all relative to one’s experience and perception but if we assume that “accessibility” refers to melodies finding their way into an otherwise brutal caustic display of don’t-give-a-fuckery then i guess this album qualifies at some level. Metalcore is all about the most obnoxious display of brutality given within a series of time signature delineations which keeps it from becoming death metal, black metal etc and VEIN.FM are clearly in that metal clearing house department that finds it in the company of bands like Converge, Botch, Between The Buried And Me, The Dillinger Escape Plan and about a gazillion other ridiculously named bands of a similar don’t-=give=a=fuck attitude!
I think the term “accessibility” when applied to metalcore simply means variety frankly and that’s where VEIN.FM finds themselves on this latest release THE WORLD IS GOING TO RUIN YOU in the first quarter of the calendar year 2022. While that term may make some cringe, in this case it’s actually a blessing as the world of metalcore and mathcore can quickly become a one-trick pony if not navigated with extreme caution. Blowing off steam in a garage is one thing but if one is to seriously make a career out of noisy fuck-it-all orotundity then perhaps a game plan is warranted. Well VEIN.FM has consulted its metalcore spirits and found that very way into the hearts of the fans who have already seemingly heard it all.
Basically this album excels at many levels. Metalcore on steroids? Check. Caustic dissonance that will offend just about everyone but the unoffendable? Well fuck yeah!!! However even those of us who love a good anti-fucking-everything approach will soon get tired of a one-trick pony show. Well that’s where VEIN.FM delivers the goods. A nice steady slice of metalcore extremism with just enough deviation from the regularly scheduled program to keep things humming along. The album basically is on overdrive the entire time with just enough moments of distracting contrast to keep you focused. Oh how we’ve fallen from that art! The album ends in the 7-minute plus track “Funeral Sound” that takes you on a completely different journey, a bizarre alt metal construct that deviates from the master plan. Overall this is a fascinating work of metalcore that adds more spice than the usual. Not progressive, just original and nurtures the concept of artistic. Bitchin cool.