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PREMIERE: VNION make their mark on the heavy scene with Ceremony

There are a lot of great heavy bands in Australia right now which can make breaking into the scene a bit of a task when competing with heavyweights like Karnivool or Parkway Drive, just to name a few. Hell, even Perth seems to have a monopoly on amazing heavy music at the moment. On the one hand it means we have a fertile breeding ground for more harder rock bands, while at the same time it means competing for the spotlight is that much harder. Enter stage left VNION, an interesting band to come into this rich scene.

VNION Ceremony premiere

With an ambient mic of post-punk and progressive rock, Melbourne trio VNION have made an admirable entrance into the prolific Australian hard rock scene.

VNION are a Melbourne three piece who came together in 2014 made up of Tiberivs Rex, Ronald Revben Jnr and Jaq Rabbit. They’re one of those bands who have a clear idea of the sound they want to achieve; entrancing, echoing rock that envelops the listener. Think sleepmakeswaves or fellow all-caps contemporaries HYLA. The band have been plugging away meticulously since their formation and are now releasing their debut EP Ceremony.

Ceremony is a tough little beast to tackle. The band are definitely firing on all cylinders; the ambient guitars, the trembling, warped vocals are spot on. There are times when you feel the band are on the cusp of launching into a good old fashioned breakdown but they pull back at the last moment, particularly on Together Upon first listen it feels like a bit of a let down, but after revisiting the EP it becomes clear that it is actually one of Ceremony‘s strengths.

The absence of crunching riffs and shattering cymbal crashes allows the more mellow and at times haunting tones to bloom. It’s an EP that creeps about on the sly, the swirling guitar effects on opener No Threat set a precedent of introspection. There is a genuine feeling of melancholy and angst that runs rampant throughout Ceremony, the echoing vocals are chant-like and a call to meditate on one’s own state in a way. Closing song Let Us Forget Who We Are sees these feelings come to a head, the angst manifesting itself clearly in the lyrics “Run away/ Let us forget who we are“.

The highlight is Higher Up. It pull together all the elements of the EP; introspection, plodding bass, spacious drums and guitars that are reminiscent if a cold sweat tingling down your back. It lends itself to more of a prog rock treatment and overall feels the most focused on Ceremony both musically and thematically. Hopefully we’ll see VNION continue down this path in the years to come.

Ceremony is as solid as debuts come. VNION have done an admirable job of bringing a full formed concept to the EP which, a concept that will hopefully continue to develop and mature over time. It’s spacious, melancholic, and no doubt will be killer when witnessed live, so be sure to check out the band’s socials for all the latest show details.