The Veer Union – Reinvention

I never quite know what to expect when a band describes themselves as Alt Metal. It seems to be a genre where almost anything goes. Vancouver based The Veer Union place themselves in the progressive alternative metal bracket. Unbelievably for a band who have never crossed my path, their new offering “Reinvention” is their ninth studio album.

This new release features ten tracks spanning a mere 32 minutes, all of which are under the four-minute mark. Normally that would be enough to put me off, but after just one listen, I was hooked. Below there are links to six of the tracks which is over half of the album. So, plenty of opportunity for you to make your own mind up.

This Canadian quartet combines brutal riffs with catchy hook lines; electronica mixed with crunching chords and primal screams. The songs switch between melodic passages and intense onslaughts; all performed with seamless transitions. There is also a myriad of styles and influences.

The album begins with ‘My Empire’ which initially sounds a little chaotic. Fortunately, the powerful chorus cements the structure of the track perfectly. Although it is one of the shorter tracks it gets the album off to a flying start. Vocalist Crispin Earl lays out his full impressive range, whetting the appetite for the remainder of this release.

The blending of genres continues with ‘Caught in the Crossfire’. Melodic verses sit cheek by jowl with heavier choruses and a sprinkle of harsher vocals.  I’m not completely sure what the song is about but the lyrics seem to suggest a relationship breakdown. “Caught in between the love and the hate on our hearts we are choking. The shrapnel was shaped from the words that were spoken”

The title ‘Sea of fear’ could conjure up all sorts of images. This song is basically about anxiety and the fear of being overwhelmed by it. Suitably and sporadically aggressive but giving way to melodic choruses makes for an interesting mix of styles.

Several tracks on the album sail close to the style of Metalcore, none more so than ‘Venom in my Veins’. This is another song about what appears to be a relationship gone bad. The video of the track shows bass player Glen Bridon contributing backing vocals as the song swaps between harsh and soft. 

A piano and vocal intro eases you into ‘Sunk Your Teeth’. This is one of their mostly mellow songs with occasional screams. There is a seemingly rare guitar solo from Ryan Ramsdell which is a pleasant and welcome bonus.

‘Meet Your Maker’ features some of the heaviest passages with drummer Ricardo Viana laying down blistering barrages in both these sections and the breakdown in the middle.

By now you should have a good idea what the band sounds like. As we leave the videos behind the remaining tracks carry on in the same style with a few variations. ‘Never Say Never’ starts with some groove metal merging into a catchy chorus and the usual bout of screaming.

My favourite song on the album is ‘Dying Light’. A song which could possibly be based on the Dylan Thomas poem ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’. It does contain the lyric “Raging against the dying light” so maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Whatever, within its 3 ½ minutes you will find emotion, plenty of variety and powerful impassioned vocals.

 

To finish off this short but dynamic album we have ‘Feel Again’ and ‘Hole in my Head’. The former is laced with fierce vocal intrusions but is otherwise mellow. The latter is similar with plenty of ferocious screams but also with an overriding melodic feel. This makes it a fine song to end the album on. Then it’s all over and too soon, so I need to push the play button again.

I find the diverse unpredictability of the material appeals to me a lot, despite the shortness of the tracks. These 10 songs are predominately melodic but with an aggressive edge. The band formed in 2004, so 9 albums in 22 years is very prolific. At that rate expect the next release sometime around I guess 2028 / 2029. Whenever it is, it will be very welcome and definitely one to look out for. This album may only be just over half an hour long, but so much is packed into each track that it seems longer. Now I have a big back catalogue to investigate.

 TRACK LIST: 

1. My Empire
2. Caught in the Crossfire
3. Sea of Fear
4. Venom in my Veins
5. Sunk Your Teeth in
6. Meet Your Maker
7. Never Say Never
8. Dying Light
9. Feel Again
10. Hole in my Head