by Louis Marrone (@TheLewYorker)
When I listen to something like Vein, I think of the 1981 animated film, Heavy Metal. The film is an abstract, yet tightly put journey of intense imagery, loud sounds, and absolutely brutal environments. Through its unique mixtures of mediums (the cinematic technique of rotoscoping mixed with traditional animation and CGI), as well as it’s clever usage of sound and passion for music, the viewer exits the film with at least some interest or even a love of heavy metal. Errorzone is a similar experience.
Errorzone is the debut album from Vein, an experimental hardcore/screamo band from Boston. Vein introduces themselves as nothing short of different. The way that their album creates this marriage of sounds, ranging from more mechanical and computerized sounds, to more raw, unfiltered finger-to-string/stick to drum ones, takes the listener down this void of no return. A void where anything can happen, and nothing is stable; A void where Jason Statham’s character from “Crank” is constantly chucking electro-shock infused punches at your face.
The album is a speedy selection, with most of the songs only lasting a maximum of two minutes for the first part, only to pick up in length during the second half, at a full three-four minutes per cut. Nevertheless, the time expansion is well earned. Beefier cuts like “Doomtech” create this stark contrast, somehow cranking up the passion and aggression that goes into the bands performance.
With that being said, the album does have a bit of a problem. One of the interesting things that I noticed through listening is the fact that, quite frankly, the scope and execution of the songs don’t quite take enough chances at times. There could have been room for Death Grips-ian experimentation in a way that could have allowed for a greater sense of unique sound. As said before, there’s certainly a great amount of genre bending within the audio, but at times, it’s questionable if it goes quite far enough.
But in spite of that, at a speedy 20 minutes, Vein exhales a powerful breath of life into hardcore. There is this great sense of energy and aggression that goes into everything from the instrumentals to the vocals.