VEMOD
Venter På Stormene (gold/black vinyl)

The re-release of a startling album

Vemod from Trondheim/Norway are one of the most promising and visionary bands of the vibrant, eclectic contemporary metal underground and have already made quite an impact in well-informed circles. Combining such diverse influences as Ulver, Dead Can Dance, Brian Eno and Paysage d'Hiver, the three musicians pursue a unique musical and aesthetical approach, thus reaching a distinct expression and atmosphere at an early stage of their career.
Vemod's first full length album "Venter På Stormene" (English: "waiting for the storms") was originally released in 2012 and is now reissued by Prophecy on a larger scale. Separated into the two parts "Over jord, vandrende" ("throughout the earth, wandering") and "Over himmel, flammende" ("throughout the heavens, flaming"), the album is conceived as a twofold manifestation of inner movements and a rising star, a contemplation upon the yet-again-sacred. The marriage of dark ethereal metal and atmospheric ambient soundscapes celebrates and cultivates the Vemodian essence within the realms of deep feeling: the result after years of slow but steady maturation and a bridge towards the future. Beyond sun and moon, we are born anew.

VEMOD are by no means an average band. The Norwegians exist in the liminal spaces and the crossroads of places. The trio has chiselled their sophomore full-length "The Deepening" from the same sonic granite that its predecessor "Venter på stormene" came from over a decade ago. This bedrock is found in Namsos, where VEMOD were conceived as a lifelong passion project at the turn of the century by then 12-year old Jan Even Åsli. The nearest big city is Trondheim where the fiercely individual local Nidrosian black metal scene, which refers to the city's original name, provided VEMOD with its first point of musical reference as embodied by the first demo "Kringom fjell og skog" (2004).

When the Norwegians reemerged seven years later with both the track "Moestæ Qverelæ" on a split-single and the demo "Vinterilden" in 2011, they had considerably changed. The trio had taken a step outside by strengthening elements that have already been present before: a sprinkle of the majesty reminding of early IN THE WOODS..., a dash of melancholia, and a knife tip of introvert contemplation among a wide range of emotional and vivid sonic imagery. VEMOD's musical transition finds comparable parallels in the development of French brothers-in-spirit ALCEST even though there was no direct influence flowing either way. In hindsight, the Norwegians also pioneered such currently popular styles such as blackgaze and post-black metal, although they never subscribed to either. With their debut full-length "Venter på stormene" just a year later in 2012, VEMOD opened their music to new places: A mind-blowing performance at the prestigious Beyond the Gates festival in 2013 and the legendary special show within the national treasure of the Vigeland Mausoleum at Oslo's Inferno Festival 2014 cemented VEMOD's excellent reputation even across the Atlantic.

Now, "The Deepening" arrives with a different production, which resulted in a changed overall tone compared to earlier works and the Norwegians also reached out and tapped into new stylistic strata adding further elements to their sound. Even the lyrical themes running through "The Deepening" tell of change, transience, transformation, and growth. "The Deepening" offers an opportunity to look past long held beliefs and comforting illusions. At the crossroads of VEMOD's second album at this point in space and time waits a deepening understanding of their musical world.