Vlad in Tears – Relapse (Metalville)
Wednesday, 6th March 2024
Hot on the heels of 2022’s Porpora, Vlad in Tears strikes while creatively on fire through this latest studio record Relapse. A year in the making, the trio would spend ten days together recording at vocalist Kris Vlad’s personal studio, capturing material fueled by the inspiration of global stories, fighting personal battles, struggles, and feelings at a point in time like never before. While previous records established a sound that incorporated a mix of alternative rock and gothic metal elements, these eleven tracks appear to push more of the electricity and purity of their sound, only incorporating synth /electronic accents on one specific song this go around.
The combination of emotionally driven hooks on all fronts musically plus vocally allows the listener to dive deep into the heavy-handed, hypnotic chord progressions that lead to bigger payoffs through the choruses. Check out “Dig Deep” in that regard, the stunted riffing of Lex Vlad cascading next to an addictive vocal refrain, shifting into some tranquil passages before the next heavy charge barrels down from the sky. The contrasts continue when taking on a quieter sheen for “Goodbye”, as you feel swept away by the thoughtful, lower register singing that mirrors the almost church/hymn-like presence, similar to HIM or 69 Eyes. The trio will incorporate outside aspects that add flavor or spice up certain cuts – a female narrative intro for the otherwise explosive “Hallo” or layer the instrumentation in a bit of an industrial / alternative soundscape to fit the needs of a certain arrangement. Seasoned players along with proper knowledge of dynamic expression in the songwriting means that you’ll be hard-pressed to fast forward through any of the songs – by the time the shapeshifting crunchy to soothing finisher “Not Good Enough” concludes, most followers will race to go back to the beginning for another satisfying playback.
With Relapse, Vlad in Tears seem to have hit their stride in the balance between heavy rock, alternative, and gothic sounds. It’s a cross-pollination style that allows the group to explore a wide array of influences – in turn probably accelerating the audience they could appeal to. Worth the escape alone.
