Deepening, Vemod, LP

LP (black vinyl). 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 it's predecessor "Venter pa 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 Asli. 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 it's 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 "Moestae Qverelae" 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 pa 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.