Villainy - Villainy I

Villainy

Villainy I

by Jessica P. Harman at 09 October 2014, 6:13 PM

VILLAINY is a Death Metal trio hailing from the Netherlands. Being born in 2011, VILLAINY have a few EPs and demo albums along with two full-length albums. “Villainy I” was their first full-length release, but was re-released on September 15, 2014. The album contains nine tracks and has a 40-minute listening time.

VILLAINY is an unorthodox metal band that has many influences on their sound. These influences include death, doom, black, thrash, and other metal and musical inspirations. “Villainy I” is a creative outlet that was used to create their own unique old school style of metal. The album is said to be “full of catchy riffs and rockin’ leads”.

The album starts without much of an intro throwing the listener straight into what I feel to be a more thrash-esque sound. “Through Whispering Eyes” is pretty brutal music. It’s hard and in your face from the beginning. The guitars are good, but are drowned out so easily. The solo doesn’t even sound as grand as it should. The drums are great and aren’t too over powering. The bass is very hard to hear, but is also really good when you can. The vocals are crisp and easily understandable, but do overpower the rest of the sound.

The overpowering vocals are a theme throughout the album. I think it is a production issue more than an artist issue. Just taking the drums into account, they sound the same through most of the album. I couldn’t distinguish between different tracks. The blast beats sound too similar throughout.

There is a lovely change in track three “And Now She is Perfect”. It is low, grungy, and wonderful. The guitars and bass are superbly done and the drums are perfect and different. The vocals are even lower and more grotesque than on other tracks. This is one of the best tracks on the album.

The guitars are incredibly done; I just wish they were more pronounced. “Charlatan” is another track that shows the immense guitar musicianship. The groove and melody is as good as it gets.

I liked the album. For a re-release I thought production would be a bit better, but overall it is a decent listen.