VILIFY-FEVER DREAM
It’s only a matter of time until Vilify takes off, and frankly I am at a loss for why they aren’t much bigger already. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with their output to date, and this new EP Fever Dream is no exception—and in its often oppressive, claustrophobic heaviness and feverish intensity it lives up to its title. The best adjective I can think of to describe it is that it’s more compacted. Despite having a song called "Light Bringer," ironically there isn’t much in the way of daylight here.
Fever Dream isn’t dramatically divergent from Vilify’s previous material, but is a further refinement of their sound and sharpening of their identity. Though the band has one foot in the modern metalcore camp, its other remains in the relatively recent metalcore past, with the sound, more apparent now than ever, a synthesis of the two ("Save Me" is probably the most representative of said synthesis in-track). Indeed, when I interviewed vocalist Amy McIntosh in November, she stated, "From the first EP and foundations it would have to be the likes of Every Time I Die, Norma Jean, that sort of thing. These days we are all massive Spiritbox, Sleep Token, Alpha Wolf sweaters just like everyone else haha." One can hear skronky Diamond Construct-esque riffs on songs like "Save Me" and "Rot By Design" and a panicked riff that is reminiscent of Every Time I Die’s "Fear and Trembling" in "Hang.Draw.Quarter." Fans of crushingly-heavy early- to mid-2010s metalcore bands like Legend and Those Who Fear will also find much to like on this EP.
Elsewhere, suiting the subject matter perfectly, the filthy and nasty "Split Tongue" spits venom at the venomous: "Split tongue is about those slithery, slippery little snakes that are only out for themselves," explains the band. The electronic elements in "Light Bringer" add both melodic touches to the chorus and atmosphere throughout a track that’s more in the modern metalcore camp. In what is catnip for this reviewer, the song has a killer two-step part leading up to a breakdown that will devastate live. The whole EP will, really. Fever Dream is a rousing success in Vilify’s mixing of different styles and eras of metalcore on their palette to produce something fresh and distinct.