Despite a nagging sense that sludge, particularly of the progressive variety, has probably peaked for 2023, here I am, taking in another fetid puddle of progressive sludge, just in case I’m wrong. You never know, could happen. Denver, Colorado trio Vexing has been around since 2017, with only a demo and 2020 EP Cradle to its name. Now, however, the band is ready to drop its debut LP on a suspecting public. Suspecting because if you brand something as “progressive sludge,” it engenders certain expectations. Can Vexing confound these preconceptions on Grand Reproach (which I have an almost irresistible urge to prefix with The, so forgive me when it inevitably happens below), or will I end my 45-minute sojourn somewhat … Vexed?
Cue the burbling static intro to opener “The Mold” and I am already eye-rolling, waiting for the inevitable glacial, doom-adjacent riff and roared vox to kick in, which … never come. At least, not on the opener and which are, in fact, used relatively sparingly across The Grand Reproach. Indeed, the Vexing model of progressive sludge skirts around the fringes of death metal (“Vanquishing Light”) and grind (“The Invisible Hand”), as much as it does doom, without ever actually straying from the sludge territory the band claims as its own. Much more up-tempo than many of their colleagues operating in the same genre, Vexing’s Garrett Jones (Postnihilist) serves up surprisingly catchy riffs, that nod to Our Raw Heart-era YOB, as well as Sulphur English Inter Arma, but tinged with the discordant fury of recent Pig Destroyer (“Shallow Breath”). Other parts of the record, particularly in its use of Clayton Whitelaw’s twanging bass groove (“Blunderbuss”) and furious, quasi d-beat (handled by Jeff Malpezzi) drums, recall early Mastodon.
The closing pairing of “Small Black Flame” and “Red Skies” show Vexing in a more contemplative mien, with drawn-out feedback loops, echoing melodic passages and post-metal-esque excursions the order of business. Throughout, the vocals—handled interchangeably by Jones and Whitelaw—are mix of hoarse, post-hardcore shouts (“Small Black Flame” particularly) and deeper, gravelly roars. Peppered across Grand Reproach are stuttering electronic intros and/or outros to tracks, an ‘atmospheric’ synth-and-keys interlude (“Howling”) and various other effects, which lace Vexing’s compositions. At its most successful (“Vanquishing Light” and the excellent “Shallow Breath”), this model is highly effective and does actually live up to the progressive sludge moniker. In other places, however, the additions are overdone and feel a little affected, rather than actually a proper, integrated part of the whole.
Unsurprisingly, the production job on Grand Reproach is a little rough and ready but that is, I think, by design. I like the guitar tone, which feels organic and rich, and it’s a (welcome) surprise to be able to actually hear what Whitelaw’s bass is doing, its groove a nice counterpoint to some of Jones’ more progressive flourishes. However, it has to be said that there is a slight, but very annoying, tinny resonance to the cymbals, which permeates the whole album like some sort of faint background white noise. Iron that out, and the whole thing sounds significantly better. For my money, I would also have dispensed with “Howling” and some of the brief track intros (like that to “The Mold”, “Vanquishing Light” and, most definitely, the rainy, siren noises that start “Small Black Flame”). These changes would result in only modest real terms cuts to the respectable 45-minute run but would have significantly tightened the Vexing experience. Personally, I also think that if you’re going to use two vocalists, you need to do one of two things: either use them in parallel, to offer up that extra depth and hellish harmony (which is done in places on Grand Reproach but not enough), or they need to offer something noticeably different from each other (they don’t really).
Vexing pleasantly surprised me with Grand Reproach. For a debut in the sludge genre, there’s a surprising amount of refinement and delicacy to the band’s creation and more than enough to suggest that Vexing can deliver a great record down the line. Frankly, with just a few tweaks, this could well have been it. I am genuinely looking forward to hearing where the band goes next and hope we don’t have to wait too long to find out.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ordovician Records
Websites: vexing.bandcamp.com | vexing.net | facebook.com/vexingco
Releases Worldwide: May 26th, 2023
