Artist: Vehemence
Label: Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 4/6/04
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Title: Helping The World To See Artist: Vehemence Label: Metal Blade Records Release Date: 4/6/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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5 | ||
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4 | ||
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5 | ||
| Sabbath's Review | 5 | ||
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Abyss's Review:
Vehemence have finally returned with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Metal Blade debut, God Was Created, and, like its predecessor, Helping the World to See is a triumph. Vehemence have proven that their last record was no fluke, and stand firmly at the forefront of the next important wave of American death metal. The band's strongest point is their originality, forming a unique sound from all over the metal spectrum.Combining melodic and brutal death, black metal, technical death metal, and even some traditional and progressive elements, Vehemence continue to be one of the most exciting bands in the metal realm. The album opens strong, with one scorcher after another - "By Your Bedside", "Kill For God" and "Trinity Broadcasting (Know Your Enemy)" - and rarely relents.
"One word review: Essential." The band has a strong sense of riff, using them as ballast to drive the songs. Although the band can be quite technical at times, the songwriting never suffers. Dueling guitars dance and weave over the brutality and the keyboards remain understated, but effective. The vocals round out the picture, shifting from desperate screams to guttural growls, but are low enough in the mix to allow the guitars to maintain the spotlight. The lyrics are a little more far reaching this time, involving geopolitical concerns as well as religion and blasphemy.
If there's one weak point to the album it may be the left turn the band takes on "Alone in Your Presence", a melodic, mostly instrumental track that seems to be attempting the vibe of Metallica's "Orion" or "Call of Cthulu". And while the song is far from a failure, it shows the band playing against their strengths, and strikes me as too much of a distraction.
That's nitpicking however, because the bottom line is this is most likely going to be one of the strongest releases that comes out this, or any other, year. And on top of all that, they even improved on the poor artwork found on the last record. This is an album I can't recommend enough. One word review: Essential.
Death's Review:
"Vehemence storm back with an album full of songs you want to listen to again and again." Arizona’s most creative death metallers return with their second Metal Blade release, Helping the World to See, and while they’ve focused and tightened up their sound a bit they still retain enough of their trademark creative to push the genre forward. The emphasis, mind you, remains on brutal death, possibly even more so than on the last album, God Was Created. Still, with Nathan Gerhart displaying expert vocal articulation and lots of headbanging style riffs from guitarists Bjorn Dannov and John Chavez thrown in amongst the chaos, Vehemence storm back with an album full of songs you want to listen to again and again. My personal favorite is “You Don’t Have to Be Afraid Anymore,” a particularly twisted tale of a father who wife leaves him so he stalks his family and kills them all. But this isn’t just your typical gorefest type lyrics, rather, it is written from a more psychological perspective and the music behind it backs up the easy to understand (for death metal) words perfectly. Thus goes all of Helping the World to See. I also like “What Could Go Wrong?”, which tells the tale of a mother in a perfect hapy family who goes out late, gets drunk and has sex with someone else, destroying the family and turning the protagonist to a life of drug abuse to dull the pain. Wow. One can only wonder if this stuff is autobiographical.
Anyway, Vehemence deserve to elevate their stature to the proverbial “next level” of American death metal. The music is there, the lyrics are there, and now, even the album cover and packaging look professional. If you haven’t checked them out yet, go buy the new Vehemence and hear these dark tales for yourself. What could go wrong?
Hel's Review:
Favorite track: “You Don’t Have to Be Afraid Anymore”Vehemence is back, with another effort chock full of the sort of American melodic death only they can provide. When I first put this record into my player, my reaction wasn’t instantly enthusiastic – I thought it was good, but I wasn’t immediately blown away. With repeated listens, I find myself starting to scream along – always a sure sign of a great record. Indeed, each time I listen to it, it grows on me more and more.
"I think they really have something special here. " With lyrical topics expanded to include political as well as anti-religious themes and some truly creepy cover artwork, Vehemence is making a serious play to be one of the strongest bands in the death scene here in the U.S. And why shouldn’t they be? They have all the elements necessary: insane drumming, intricate guitar work, and ferocious screams. Add to this their lack of worshiping any particular band exclusively, thereby creating a sound that is in many ways uniquely their own, and I think they really have something special here.
The disc also includes a multimedia presentation comprised of video clips and photos spanning the length of the band’s existence. The video footage isn’t the best quality, but it’s fun to watch anyway, and the entire presentation gives you a nice overview of the history of the band. It is clear a lot of love went into putting this together, and it is worth the couple of minutes it’ll probably take you to get it running, as it does not launch automatically for whatever reason.
Helping the World to See is definitely a fine sophomore release from this up and coming band. Anyone who enjoyed the God Was Created will surely be pleased by this one. Death metal fanatics should be putting this one on their shopping lists for their next binge.
Sabbath's Review:
One Word Review: Outstanding!Favorite Tracks: "You Don't Have to be Afraid Anymore," "Spirit of the Solider," and "Darkness is Comfort"
Finally Helping the World to See has arrived, and I couldn't be happier!!! These Arizona boys are back for their 2nd attack on Metal Blade Records with Helping the World to See! This release has been buzzing all over the Metal community with crazed anticipation, and it has hit stores with a severe bang! What a package!! Not only does this album have 11 tracks including a special Bonus Track of previously recorded material, but it also has a 57-minute multimedia video/timeline of the band and their journey through Metal. This video includes rare live footage of the band from 1997-2003, and behind the scenes footage of their 2002 recording sessions of God Was Created... How in the fuck can you beat a package like this, eh?
I have been following this band for quite sometime now. All the way from their The Thoughts From Which I Hide (self-release) days, up to Helping the World to See, and I can honestly and powerfully say these guys have come a long way. If you look back on The Thoughts... days you see more of a straightforward, brutal Death Metal influence and a style that was emerging as "Vehemence"; you also see a more gore-oriented lyrical pattern. Then take a look at God Was Created; and you see a progressively more melodic sound forming that will soon be known as "Vehemence's" unique, in-your-face trademark sound. And, you also see a storybook theme among the lyrics in GWC - with Jesus as the main focus - creating a concept to be followed throughout each track. And lastly, we have Helping the World to See. I really believe with HTWTS, Vehemence has captured their mature, permanent, groove-laden sound, and they have laid the groundwork for many great albums hereafter. Nathan Gearhart took a complete left turn with the lyrics for HTWTS. He focused more on realistic situations that plague this planet, and concepts that one can easily relate to, which was a fantastic approach for this record.
As I have mentioned before in previous reviews/show reviews of Vehemence, if you are not familiar with their exceptionally profound sound, you need to get your ass in gear. They cannot be compared to any one band, but they have elements that make Opeth so fantastic; the technicality that makes Decapitated and Theory in Practice so interesting, and the melodic brutality that makes Amon Amarth and A Canorous Quintet so inspiring. Throughout Helping the World to See - in every track - you will find a harmony that is full of emotion. These guys take time, and put a lot of heart into writing their tracks, as you can see in the instrumental "Alone in Your Presence." I am particularly fond of the lyrics for "You Don't Have to be Afraid Anymore." This song tells a tale of a true story that occurred in Phoenix, AZ a few years back. It involves a devoted father who went insane, dead babies, and a lot of blood. This track is amazingly moving, and very well done. Here is a little excerpt of the lyrics, and with this passage you can make your own assumptions as to where the song will lead:
"Married thirteen years, I loved my wife and my job
Three perfect daughters I did not deserve
She took them away, said I had grown cold
They found another life with a new Daddy to love"A bonus to this whole album package is the incredibly beautiful artwork that was constructed by none other than the man himself, Wes Benscoter. This intricate artwork is the icing and cherry on this Metal cake of goodness! I also believe it is one of his best pieces to date; it is just so DAMN GOOD! In addition, keep an eye out for Vehemence's debut video to be released shortly for their track "By Your Bedside".
All in all, this album is a bit more upbeat and animated than God Was Created, and it gives you a whole new outlook on Melodic Metal. These boys have worked their arses off to create one hell of an album, and they deserve a lot of support and the dedication of fans who love their shit! I demand that everyone buys this album - it is a must for any metal collection.
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