Hailing from North Carolina Verse Vica are a brand new band that have just been unleashed on the progressive metal world. With their new release “Endeavor” the band have created a record that incorporates the technicality of progressive metal with the ambient sounds of post rock. Whilst all the while utilizing devastating, groovy breakdowns formed of essentially six tracks along with two interludes give the album a seamless feel of continuity.
Moving through the metal spectrum throughout “Endeavor“, with tracks having different flavours that will surely tantalise the metal palette whilst not leaving a bad taste in the mouth. Having esteemed producer Jamie King in charge of production duties, responsible for The Contortionist’s brilliant Language, last years phenomenal instrumental Scale The Summit’s The Migration and essentially Between The Buried and Me‘s discography. The band move into inspired “Verdugo” we see the band create a very much stop start riff that are synonymous with the aforementioned North Carolina band. Moving into the tech metal madness of the excellently titled “Ravenholm” giving a slight nod to The Faceless before moving into the major sounding pre chorus giving the song a uplifting resonance, after a Spanish acoustic guitar enters as we side off temporarily only to be returned to our original technicality.
Where Verse Vica truly shine though is the stylish execution of the lead lines particularly in the deceptive breakdown that reveals itself to actually contain a terrific solo in “Djinn“, although the songs writing can be sometimes thwarted by the slight clunky breakdowns the band are definitely onto something big. Throughout the many different heights of “Ravenholm” its final chorus reminiscent of classic System of A Down that will not leave your head.
Not relying solely on the usual easy way out of syncopated drum patterns that match the guitar lines as with so many contemporary acts today. The band create various soundscapes with the blissful and melancholic “Marumari” creating a real definition of their sound and a fantastic, fluid contrast between the previous batterings of “Cities I : Cerulean“. Giving the album much needed space in order to appreciate the tremolo picked beginnings of “Djinn” where guitarists Paul Meisner and Greg Marcon playfully dance around the listener with the elastic like riffs in the verse. Not forgetting vocalist Spencer Brunkhorst delivering some earth swallowing performances throughout the record. With the denouement of final track “Cities II : Saffron” the band return to their post rock style to carry out a sweet melodic and most importantly memorable final track that ties the album up perfectly.
Although not everything is about technicality, the band has a tendency to fall into almost hardcore territory with the classic two step feel sneaking it way in the more groove oriented pieces of the album. My only gripe would be some of the breakdowns are slightly clunky, but for an album debut Verse Vica are onto something fantastic, piecing together elements from genres we all know and love to create their own unique puzzle, that just as fun to see the finished product as it is to create.
