In a music scene which almost constantly and consistently churns out all manner of hardcore and metalcore bands, it takes something special to stand out from the pack, so by combining the ferocity and ruthlessness of Feed The Rhino with the cinematic beauty of Devil Sold His Soul, Vera Grace offer something a little more than your average.
At only 6 tracks long, you can be forgiven for thinking that ‘Novella’ won’t offer you much. How often can a band paint an accurate picture of themselves in such a short format? Luckily, Vera Grace do themselves immense justice.
‘Novella’ is a sprawling, expansive listen, with enough melodic ups and downs to make you feel like you’re being taken on a journey. It’s extremely enthralling, drawing you in – with ambient passages that make you feel safe, only to be pummelled with fearless aggression seconds later. It’s a wonderful listening experience, and can only be fully appreciated when listening to ‘Novella’ from start to finish.
It’s this that makes the record work so well, and makes it so entertaining. There’s a distinct level of consideration and thought that’s gone into the writing; the order of the songs on the EP, the ups and downs, the delicate pauses and melodic interludes – it all comes together to take you on this incredible trip.
However, it’s important to note that for all the beauty that Vera Grace possess in their music, they are also fiercely aggressive. With vocals that would make Sam Carter of Architects proud, thundering drums and bass, and mathy, technical riffs, tracks such as ‘12 04’ deliver a thunderclap of aggression with aplomb.
While difficult to pick apart and identify individual tracks of merit, due to the entire EP’s high quality, it’s final two tracks ‘Scene I – Griever’ and ‘Scene II – Catharsis’ that are truly the most impressive. Atmospheric, eerie, with the building, lumbering tempo of an oncoming oblivion, these two final tracks are simply huge, designed to make any venue feel 100 times its size, and to throw audiences into raptures. Phenomenal.
Thought provoking, evocative and truly majestic, ‘Novella’ and Vera Grace are entirely worthy of your time.
CHRIS ROBINSON