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Blast metal? The term they gave █ █ █ █ to themselves does not stand for blast beats, but war █ █ █ █ themes they carry. And "fast atomic drinking" themes. Yes, █ █ █ █ their lyrics can be hilarious or lame, from whatever point █ █ █ █ you observe them. Anyway, you should bear in mind, that █ █ █ █ their 2004 album 'Destruction Warfare' is one I know, and █ █ █ █ will draw comparisons to. █ █ █ █ But let's get into musical side of Vexed first. This Milan █ █ █ █ band have been operational since 1996, and they've always █ █ █ █ alloyed thrash, death and black metal branches together. █ █ █ █ Starting with a majestic and brooding intro 'Ashes', █ █ █ █ 'Void-H-Fog' gets into marching gear and is like an █ █ █ █ unstoppable tank with its consistent mid-paced double kick █ █ █ █ drum beat, heavy riffing and shouted blazoned vocals. This █ █ █ █ death/black song is simplistic, but also something like an █ █ █ █ opener should be: It is arresting as hell. It has a black █ █ █ █ aura of Celtic Frost in it. 'Bloody Fucking Thrash' is █ █ █ █ exactly what its title promises; powerful, Sodomizing and █ █ █ █ shredding thrash metal. Another style is introduced with █ █ █ █ 'Black 'n' Roll', which is a heavier take on Mot÷rhead and █ █ █ █ NWOBHM, similar to what Devil Lee Rot does. The final genre █ █ █ █ in Vexed's musical map is hardcore punk mixed with metal █ █ █ █ styles, and this is best heard on 'Professional Cancer', █ █ █ █ which has a similar feel as Sepultura's cover of New Model █ █ █ █ Army's 'The Hunt' (on Brazilians' 1993 album 'Chaos A.D.'). █ █ █ █ Another punky song is the following 'Bastard Drink Faster', █ █ █ █ but more upbeat, a bit like Tankard's thrashing. Talking █ █ █ █ about covers; 'Black Metal' found on this album is a cover █ █ █ █ of Venom hit. █ █ █ █ So, these are the boundaries within which Vexed operate. █ █ █ █ There is nothing innovating to be heard on this album. The █ █ █ █ final judgment can only be passed considering how well █ █ █ █ Vexed do their thing. They do it pretty well, to tell the █ █ █ █ truth. They can be bloody heavy, play with energy and █ █ █ █ attitude, and even sound somewhat characteristic in all █ █ █ █ that, mostly thanks to recognizable vocal style of original █ █ █ █ member Mik. All these different styles together, this still █ █ █ █ sounds quite undivided. Aforementioned bands work as █ █ █ █ examples how Vexed sounds, but aren't the whole truth. They █ █ █ █ are just beacons by which one can consider if Vexed is █ █ █ █ worth checking out. All in all, Vexed are influenced by █ █ █ █ 1980's and 1990's metal music, as there are no modern █ █ █ █ influences in their music. The lyrics are grammatically █ █ █ █ flawed, and badly. Sometimes they are highly naive, but I █ █ █ █ feel more amused than uncomfortable. █ █ █ █ The production is kind of raw. It's not to say it's █ █ █ █ powerless or garbled, because it definitely isn't either. █ █ █ █ There are various lineups appearing on the songs. Mik does █ █ █ █ all the vocals. His shouted and bellowing voice is █ █ █ █ commanding, and thankfully it isn't reverbed but seldom. It █ █ █ █ is way more impetuous this way. The guitars are ruthless █ █ █ █ with their thrashy tone, but still it is very heavy at █ █ █ █ times, too. The bass is lively, but is somewhat obstructed █ █ █ █ by louder drums. The drums have been problematic in the █ █ █ █ past, but are now much more tighter, even though they still █ █ █ █ are out of time in a few songs (e.g. 'N.B.C.'). Except that █ █ █ █ drum machine on a couple of songs... It does not destroy █ █ █ █ anything, but is easily noticeable for its coldness. █ █ █ █ 'Void MMXII' came as a nice surprise for me. It's pretty █ █ █ █ much perfect sonic entertainment when you decide to have an █ █ █ █ evening of "fast atomic drinking", or debaucheries of your █ █ █ █ choice. █ █ █ █ █ █ █░█ █░█ █ █ 1. Ashes 1:20 █ █ █ █ 2. Void-H-Fog 3:09 █ █ █ █ 3. Bloody Fucking Thrash 3:17 █ █ █ █ 4. Black 'n' Roll 2:39 █ █ █ █ 5. Requiem 2:07 █ █ █ █ 6. N.B.C. 2:13 █ █ █ █ 7. Burnout Deathsmell Bloodgun 3:38 █ █ █ █ 8. Black Metal (Venom cover) 2:51 █ █ █ █ 9. Methodic Madness - Obey! 2:36 █ █ █ █ 10. Warblast MMXII 3:33 █ █ █ █ 11. Professional Cancer 3:42 █ █ █ █ 12. Bastard Drink Faster 3:16 █ █ █ █ 13. Omicidio 0:38 █ █ █ █ 14. Blood Collection Blood 2:17 █ █ █ █ 15. Neurotic Crimes 7:03 █ █ █ █ 44:19 █ █ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒ ░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒ ░█▓█▓░ ████▄▄ ▄▄▄████ ░█▓█▓░ ▒▓██▓▓░ ░██████████▄▄ ▄▄██████████▒ ▒▓██▓▓░ ▓█▓██▒▓██▒ ██▓ ▓██████████▓░ ▓██ ▒▄▄▓▒██▓█▓ ▓██▄██▓▄█░██ ░██▓ ▓██ ▄█░█▄▓██▄██▓ ░███ ████▀██░█ ░██░▀███████████▀▓██ █░██▀████ ███░ ▓██ ███ ▀█░█ ██ ░██ █████████ ░██ ██ █░█▀ ███ ██▓ ██░ ▀ █░█▓ ███ ▓█░ ███████ ░██ ███░ ▓█░█ ▀ ░██ ▓█░▄ ███ █▓█░ ░█░███ ▓█ ██████ ██ ███ ██ ░█▓█ ███ ▄░█▓ ░██░▄ ██░██▓█ █ ░█████ ▓█ █████ ░█ ████░ █ █▓██░██ ▄░██░ ▓███░▄ ███░█▄ ██ ░▓█████ █░ ████ ██ █████░ ██ ▄█░███ ▄░███▓ ░ ▀██░▀▀████░▓█▄ █ █░░▓█████ ▀█ ███ █░ █████▓░ █ █ ▄█▓░████▀▀░██▀ ░ ▒ ▀████▓▀███░██▄ ██ ░███ ░░▓█████ ███ ████▓▓░ ███░ ██ ▄██▓███▀▓████▀ ▒ ░ ▓ ███░▓█ ██ ███████ ░░▓▓░ ███ ░▓▓░░ ███████ ██ █▓░███ ▓ ░ ░ ░ ▀████PR█ ████████████████████████████████ █ ████▀ ░ ░ ░ ▓▓ █ ████████████████████████████████ █ ▓▓ ░ ▒ █ █████████ ░▓▓░ ███ ░▓░ █████████ █ ▒ ░ ██ █████░ ░▓████░ ███ ░███▓▓ ░█████ ██ ░ ██ █ ░████░ ▄█ ███ █▄░████▓░ █ ██ ░ █ ████▓ █░ █████ ░█ ▓████░ █ ░ █ ███▓▓░ █▓ █████ █▄ ▓███░ █▄ █▓███░ █▀ ██████▒ ▀█░ ▓███ █ ████▓░ ██ ███████ ██░ ░████ ██▓ ██ █████████ ██ ░██ █▓░ ██ ▄███████████▄░██ ░█ ██░ ░██ ██░ ▓██████████░ ▓██ ███▓██████▀▀ ▀▀██████████▒ ████▀▀▀ ▀▀▀████