Here's some super-trippy avant-garde black metal courtesy of Norway's Ved Buens Ende. They were only around for three years in the mid-90's, and managed to produce one full-length album, 1995's "Written In Waters". A reunion was attempted in 2006 and '07, but failed to bear fruit. Propelled by drummer/singer Carl-Michael Eide's odd crooning which sounds kind of like a really stoned elf, Ved Buens Ende's unique, slightly jazzy take on odd-tempo metal is unique and weird, otherwordly in the best possible way. But they still know how to kick some ass. Take, for example, the track "Den Saaktalde". Bouncing along for a full six minutes with two separate vocal tracks that seem completely unrelated to each other, the song unexpectedly bursts into some of the foulest, blasting black metal I've ever heard, aided by trollish, croaked vocals. Where the hell did that come from?
That's the genius of this band. They will constantly throw you for a loop, whether it be with dark, augmented chord structures and hauntingly weird vocals or brutal blasting and tortured shrieks. VBE is one of those rare bands that manages to be supremely "artsy" but in a really GOOD way, twisted weirdos creating something solely for their OWN satisfaction that also just happens to totally RULE.
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Above: "Throw another pillow in the kick drum! You're gonna wake up my Dad!"
I used to have this album. Weird, yes. Great? That's debatable. I found the vocals excruciating. Carl's kinda weird death metal band Cadaver was more enjoyable for me.
ReplyDeleteDiscovered yer blog a few weeks ago from Metal Inquisition. You've usurped the throne of Most Entertaining Morning Stop. Congrats.
My verification code is 'tingu'. Wasn't that a Vader song?
Yeah, the vocals definitely straddle the line between extremely strange and slightly irritating, but I really dig 'em. you have to admit the music, at least, is pretty cool though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, bro. I'll do my best to keep your mornings interesting.