Vanora – Origin

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Formed just over a year ago, it didn’t take Norwegian Core outfit VANORA long to get the ball rolling, leading to the release their debut EP “Origin” at the end of last year.

“Origin” kicks off with the title track, albeit this serves more as an intro to the album than as a stand-alone song. Chunky bass rhythms form the backbone whilst a diaphanous melody weaves in, setting the stage for what is to come. “Titan” on the other hand sees some interesting tempo changes overlaid with ethereal and haunting melodies, with the vocal style following in the stereotypical Core vein, which is further emphasized by the heavy guitar riffs and breakdowns. “Transition” follows much in the same path, although a few interesting Egyptian scale based riffs are thrown in unexpectedly. In contrast, “Minerals” takes on a more urgent undertow that gives the impression of a more unsettling atmosphere. The final track “Artifact” features Robin Adams from RED SEAS FIRE in the chorus, and is the first time that clean vocals are used, which adds dimensions and helps to bring the more melodic aspects of the song to shine.

The recording of this album is also crisp and clean, and the different layers are well mixed. All too often, bands crank up the bass and percussion so that it overpowers everything else, but VANORA have produced a perfectly balanced sound. The one thing that did however bother me is that all songs followed a similar structure and tempo throughout, which could get repetitive in the long run. Given that this is an EP of under 20 minutes, that’s not much of a problem, but I can imagine that it could be a bit much on a full-length album.

“Origin” is perhaps nothing earth-shatteringly novel, but it is a very solid debut, and it’s interesting to see the stormier Core aspects tempered by more atmospheric sections. This band show a lot of potential, and it will be interesting to see how they develop. With “Origin” streaming on YouTube, you have no excuse not to check out VANORA, and if you’re in Europe, be sure to catch them on their up-coming tour this June!, and if you’re in Europe, be sure to catch them on their up-coming tour this June!