Fresh Picks: Vales.
Vales – London, England, United Kingdom.
Loud-Emotionally-Charged-Fast-Crushing-United-Kingdom-Melodic-Progressive-Far-Reaching-Big-Noise.
A good friend of mine has been pestering me to write something on Vales for a while now, and as much as I could leave my musings as the simplified description above, I’ll pad it out a bit as I really think that everyone should go and grab themselves a download.
Formed in 2011, and in that time the band have already released an EP, Clarity, and a full-length, Wilt & Rise. It would be easy to regard them as a Post-Hardcore band, and that, to some extent, is the case. But it’s certainly not the whole cha-bang. Here’s the first I heard of the band:
Those into the current wave of Melodic Hardcore/Post-Hardcore will find enjoyment in the tempo changes, visceral vocal blasts and fast, and somewhat old-school, appeal of the Hardcore Punk energy the band radiate.
Become immersed in long, drawn out instrumental sections protruding huge walls of sound, as well as more ambient, slower sections, eluding a more progressive influence, in a way that soars over your head in a hefty and defiant Post-Metal twang. That was a long sentence.
Bands and sounds that come to mind are the emotional-Punk aggression of Touche Amore and the Hardcore Punk-fuelled Post-Metal flawlessness of Rinoa. The latter being a band that I really wish hadn’t split up – before I got into them. Just my luck.
Vales produce a forceful tidal wave of noise in such a captivating manner that it’s hard to fault them. The emotional intensity of the vocals and lyrics, as well as the instrumental output, left me a bit taken back if I’m honest.
The band have been playing about a bit this summer in the UK, and have even been as far away as Sweden. They also have a spot on a bill with the legendary Converge at Holland’s Incubate Festival in September, as well as a spot on the amazing bill for this years Hevy Fest in the UK; which features bands such as Teenage Bottlerocket, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Thrice, Trash Boat, Touche Amore and A Wilhelm Scream.
The very person who introduced me to Vales is going to be there and sadly I can’t be. Oh you lucky man you.
In short, Vales have got “it” and I eagerly await more of it. I’ll leave you with one more track before all the info you need to get to know these noise mongers is listed for your increased ease.
‘A cynical tale of this feeling of calm, told in remorse through the clench of my jaw. I even sung with the birds as they sensed the storm. If the death of chaos is the birth of clarity then bring me to the ground’
The band and their recorded works can be found via the following direct links:
- Via 6131 Records and their Website – Here (Do check out their other releases).
- Clarity can be found for streaming and downloading and along with tasty merch – Here.
- Wilt & Rise can be found for streaming and acquisition – Here.
- Updates can be found via the band’s Facebook and Twitter.
#StayFresh
