Vexing Hex
Solve Et Coagula – Wise Blood Records
From Black Sabbath to Bathory, it’s undeniable that the Devil has the best tunes and if it comes down to burning in an eternal lake of fire or spending my days with Cliff Richard…well, there’s no choice really. Anyhow, it seems there’s a new favourite on Satan’s stereo and they’re children from the cornfields of Illinois. Drawing upon fifty years of occult rock, they cite artists as diverse as Danzig and Devo as inspiration, but it’s to the band’s credit that these influences are swirled in their cauldron and turned into something wholly original. With lashings of heavy riffs and awash with retro-styled keys, Vexing Hex have a devilishly good sound and opening track ‘Into The Night’ could have come from the amplifier of classic Deep Purple or even Arthur Brown, and you’ll find them inhabiting that sweet spot somewhere between. Making good use of the tritone, much of this album has a quality that can only be defined as “evilness”, it feels dangerous playing this disc, as if by doing so the Goat Of Mendes will be summoned from its grooves. There’s elements of humour (dark, obviously) to lighten the mood, but mostly this album revels in the shade, which is surely the only way to go.
Review by Peter Dennis