Vanik: II Dark Season

Vanik’s second album is a nice reminder that we can never have enough Halloween music. Even better, the music on this album gives us more fun than we deserve. Every track draws on Halloween-related themes, either in the form of horror movies or some related kind of cultural fear. Unlike other horror-inspired bands, Vanik knows how to balance horror with humor in ways that are natural, playful, and cool. I found the album entertaining because it kept things so light and fun. Musically, Vanik is mostly a blend of heavy metal and rock and roll but it’s loose in ways give it a punk-inspired quality. Every track also has a live quality to it that I enjoyed.

Things kick off with “Dark Season,� a cool track that basically takes the opening riff from Megadeth’s “Sweating Bullets� and uses it as a solemn welcome to the haunt. Once that’s out of the way, things quickly shift in the rollicking style of “Jack’s Lantern� and they keep going until the closing track. Speaking of the closing, things end with a twisted repurposing of the opening track as a way of sending us back into the real world.

I had a blast listening to this album and I think fans of high-energy metal / rock will enjoy it too. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also a celebration of all things horror and Halloween. I recommend checking out the opening track as well as “Jack’s Lantern,� “Heresy Undertow,� and “One of Us.� Play this at your next Halloween party!

Track Listing:
1. Dark Season
2. Jack’s Lantern
3. Thorazine
4. We Like to be Frightened
5. Beyond the Closet Door
6. Werewolf
7. One of Us
8. Heresy Undertow
9. Tear You to Pieces
10. Witch Rites
11. End of Season

Added: October 2nd 2018
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Label Page
Hits: 792
Language: english

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