Release Date: November 15th 2024. Record Label: Go Down Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Pole - Track Listing:
1.Land Of Denial 07:30
2.The Thaw 06:26
3.Quest For Fire 11:43
4.Inner Desert 11:44
5.The Sudden Light 11:59
6.Thrive On Empty Temples 08:11
Review
Pole is the exciting third album from Psych Stoner Rockers Veuve where they add a bold and adventurous spirit into their music compared to their previous albums. The sound is quite cosmic based but also offers a grounded sense of reality within the warm hearted vocals and hard rocking lyrics. Veuve plays with a subtle heavy Psychedelic narrative appearing with plenty of FUZZ ROCK surroundings especially within the opening tracks of Land Of Denial and The Thaw. With a reliance on bass heavy musical structures and sludgy maneuvers that bring in aggressive style of Psych Doom to the masses.
The album has a similar style of music played by the likes of King Buffalo, All Them Witches, Weedpecker and Elder but keeping within their Italian Psych Rock heritage that allows the band the perfect opportunity to build heavier musical surroundings that become quite progressivr along the way. The album is inspired by Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction throughout the album where the listener can easily tell which TV or Film property inspired certain sections of the album.
Veuve employ a 1970’s Prog Rock and Hard Rock structure on the less abrasive and quieter parts of the album whilst leaving the modern day Sludge/Stoner aspects building up a catchy and aggressive rhythm especially with the haunting synths and psychedelic soundscapes that are the best parts of the whole album.
The clean sounding vocals are another highlight to the album which allows the listener to focus solely on the story without any harsh vocals or growls disrupting the cinematic flow. The majority of the tracks are on the long side ranging from six minutes to eleven minutes in length. Veuve go all out on Pole with long drawn out instrumental grooves and ambient textures that can be ice-cold to hear at times especially on tracks such as Quest For Fire, Inner Desert and The Sudden Light which is perhaps the standout section of the whole album.
Veuve play the heaviest sounds on these tracks alone with a Sludge Rock/Metal appetite merging with the classic sounds of 1970’s Prog Rock and Hard Rock with a sense of 1990’s based Grunge and Alt-Rock. The 1970’s musical melodies are beautifully poetic with a deft Blues Rock touch that was quite an unexpected surprise that gives the album a sense of real human worth. Though, Veuve are not afraid to transform into monolithic SLUDGE RIFF SLAYING monsters with a destructive style that feels like it came from a totally different band altogether.
Pole is an album that veers off into one hundred different directions but I mean that as a HUGE compliment as everything comes together at the right moment with Veuve delivering a non-stop array of outstanding riffs, grooves and sounds until the very end. This is a quality sounding album and one that deserves to be heard by the biggest audience possible.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Go Down Records and All Noir for the promo.
Pole is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Go Down Records.
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