Vessel Of Light – Woodshed

[schema type=”review” name=”Vessel Of Light – Woodshed ” description=”Label: Argonauta Records” author=”Başak Günel” pubdate=”2018-09-21″ ]

Vessel of Light is a supergroup formed by Dan Lorenzo (Hades, Non-Fiction, The Cursed) and Nathan Opposition (Ancient VVisdom). After having released the EP in 2017, the band has signed to Argonauta Records and will release Woodshed soon! Let’s dig deep. 

Woodshed delivers some nice doom metal with touches of stoner and even garage rock; inspirations from the 90s can be felt in every guitar riff and even the vocals here and there…Surprisingly, the songs aren’t long which is normally a typical aspect when we are talking about this doom sound but this one is different and might get the attention of the listeners who wanna get into this genre without bearing 8-10 minute songs. Maybe, a bit of atmosphere could have added that extra layer to the style but can’t complain overall; especially the guitars form the highlight of Woodshed, followed by the vocals. One big highlight is definitely the fine blend of genres which might seem weird at first but will get interesting with each listen. So I am pretty sure that the band will attract a wide audience. One nice twist was definitely the last (acoustic) song “Pray for a Cure”… A nice finish and surprise for an album like that!

One downside of Woodshed is that it comes off a bit repetitive and inconsistent when we are looking at the overall sound and the ‘big picture’. The songs seem too separated from each other and could have been organised in a way to get the listener hooked from the beginning to the end; I had the feeling that the album started pretty solid and fast but ended up in a very slow pace. In this sense, this might be one of those records that you might lose interest in quickly. It might be tough to listen to it from the beginning to the end as it doesn’t flow so easily but you might have a few songs that will become your favorites and will be played at times. On top of that, harsher vocals in songs like “One Way Out” or “Day of Rest” don’t quite fit to the atmosphere ; the doom/stoner vocals are what make Woodshed pretty solid. To each their own though…

Woodshed might not be a unique doom record and it definitely has its cons but I think that it might be one of those releases you doom lovers will enjoy every now and then. Give it a try and find out!

Highlights: Son of Man, Pray for A Cure

Tracklist: 01. Woodshed 02. Part of my Plan 03. A Love So True 04. Son of Man 05. Watching the Fire 06. Beyond the Cellar Door 07. One Way Out 08. Man’s Sin 09. Day of Rest 10. End It All 11. Pray for a Cure

Links:
Vessel of Light Facebook