VANNON “Desert of our Dreams”

Big Round Music, 2021

Music: Heavy Metal
Website: http://www.vannonband.com/
Duration: 42:00 (8 tracks)
Country: U.S.A

Armageddon and the Post-Apocalyptic world, are two of the most common themes that metal bands try to incorporate on their album these days. In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, the theme does sound fitting, but the problem lies in bands trying to create a sonic experience around that theme. Despite that, you get to hear a lot of diversity in such bands. That’s why I embarked on a mission to find such albums, and it didn’t take much time for me to come across Vannon.

Based out of Oakland, California, Vannon is a local favourite, amassing recognition among the masses through their emphatic live sound, and creative songwriting. They play of blend of Old-school death metal, Stoner Metal, Noise, and a bit of synthwave, in fact, many categorise the band as “Psych Metal”. The band’s major influences are Yob and Bathory, and needless to say – it is evident from their recently released full-length – ” Desert of Our Dreams”.The album starts with a soft yet haunting track “Call Up a Storm” which paves the way to an energetic “Two Snakes”. Being the very first song that I listened to, “Two Snakes” has everything that Vannon promised to deliver. You have that Old-school death metal vibes running all through the track and the chaotic element of the Noise music. A perfect way to grab your listeners’ attention, and an excellent contender for the best track on this album.

While listening to the album, one might notice the strange production that the band opted for. For the uninitiated, the same production can be noticed in almost all of the OSDM bands, and the reason why I think this fits well for this album is that it doesn’t take away the individual elements. Yes, polished production is more appealing, but the thing is if a band opts for a polished production they are to sacrifice the natural tone and suppress any one of the instruments. With Vannon’s intent to merge multiple genres this production sounds fitting.

Having gone through their heavy OSDM stuff, it is important to highlight their softer elements. This is where the band unleash their creative side. Take “The First and Last” – the track is around 7 minutes and starts with a strange vocaloid before it blasts into a melodious riff coupled with high-pitched vocals. It is surprising to see how well the song shows off different vocal ranges. The same can be noticed in “Above the Stars”.

Overall, “Desert of our Dreams” is an album that I believe will take a couple of listens to truly understand and digest the band’s direction. Not only does the album show how well different realms can be brought together to create a powerful sound, but also proves that it doesn’t have to be heavy at all times. Variations in vocals and diversity in instrumentation show their musicianship. I will be on the lookout for what the band releases next!

Tracklist:

1. Call Up A Storm
2. Two Snakes
3. The First and Last
4. Above the Stars
5. Desert of Our Dreams
6. Took Off Running
7. A Cold July
8. I Come To Destroy

Line-up:

Max Hodes: lead vocals, guitar
Sven Pazarek: bass, keys, backing vocals
Nick Willbrand: bass
Mike Hans Lawson: drums

Rate: 8.0/10