Crawling out from the Sydney underground VAPORIZED! bring the noise with their aggressively primitive debut cassette.
Comprised of frontman Alan Gojak, drummer Tim Nichols, bassist Andréa Mandadakis and guitarist Ishka Edmeados VAPORIZED! have been menacing claustrophobic underground crawlspaces across Sydney’s pub circuit for over a year. Outside of live performances we haven’t heard much from the group except the 2014 track Witch Blood. Looking to rectify the situation the Sydney locals have linked up with label Urge Records to cram a collection of their most damaged and aggressive songs into a single recording.
Sydney’s VAPORIZED! make a hell of an impression with their debut EP. Noisey, angsty and with lyrics that cut to the bone, a sonic assault of the best kind.
Kicking off with an unrestrained cacophony of noise, opening track Ecstasy sets the tone while foreshadowing the sonic assault to follow. This is a track which lives up to its title, conveying an aggressive and deranged sense of euphoria. Mutated funk rhythms underlay dissonant guitar noise. Vocals haphazardly slip in and out of the mix. “If you fuck with me you’re gonna burn” slurs Gojak, perfectly playing the part of a brutish and overheated antagonist. Staccato fretwork and crashing rhythms add gravitas and menace to the track’s discontented vocals.
Damage grinds onward, coupling towering guitar licks with an ominous bass line. Slowing the tempo down the group add a lethargic churning character to their sound akin to doom metal or perhaps the vitriolic work of The Birthday Party. Again the track’s lyrics seethe with resolute rage. “I won’t bargain with you!” spits Gojak in a manner somewhere between a shriek, a moan and a tortured howl.
Instilled with some of the infectious free-form grunge of Sonic Youth’s Dirty Boots, third track Get Above It is the EP’s standout track. Adopting an ever so slightly less abrasive tone the track lures the listener closer to share in the agonising narrative of a hard done by protagonist referred to simply as ‘the girl.’ The audience is even invited to join in with a sing-along section accompanying a chorus which urges the troubled girl to “Get above it.” A perfect motivator.
An Unfortunate Tale of Love and Murder is a ballad retelling the tail of two eloping lovers turned drug addicts. Initially a smoother tone things quickly build in intensity before a grating guitar riffs and militant drum patterns bombastically shatter moments of innocent optimism.
Nitrous Oxide sends things to a thundering conclusion with a nihilistic barrage of thrash metal. VAPORIZED!’s debut is a bitter and unremitting taste of primitive fury. Synthesising some of the band’s noisiest and aggressive musical inspirations into a full-fledged sonic assault the Sydney four-piece’s debut stands up as a great underground recording. A definite must for those enthused by sonic saturation or calamitous guitar licks. Play as loudly as possible.
For those looking to see the new VAPORIZED! tracks belted live, the group will be touring alongside Urge Records label mates The Nuclear Family this November.
Sydney – 7/11/15 – Warehouse Launch – Marrickville w/ White Dog, Yes I’m Leaving, Nervous Habit, Solid Effort and Thought Vomit
Canberra – 11/11/15 – The Phoenix w/ Primary Colours, Ape Farm
Wollongong – 12/11/15 – Rad Bar w/ Ape Farm, Kakariko
Melbourne – 13/11/15 – Old Bar w/ Shit Sex, Micheal Ceratops, Overtime
Newcastle – 19/11/15 – Hombre Records w/ King Trio, Shysters
Brisbane – 21/11/15 – Fat Louies w/ Ape Farm, The Wrong Man
