By George Archibald
Hailing from Portugal, Vella is a hard rock, alternative metal band making waves with their latest release Coma through Raising Legend Records. Coma was released on March 9 th and is the first major release from the band. Vella has a sound of early 2000’s nu metal meets alternative metal, in the likes of Korn, Soulfly, Mudvayne, and Disturbed. The band uses heavy distorted guitars, rhythmic drumming paired with dirty and clean vocals to create edgy heavy songs. The songs have a dark feel, with driving melodies diving in and out of the heavy and somber.
Coma is 12 tracks of angst; the album has a driving feel from the moment you start playing it. The song Tempest kicks off the album with an anthem like riff, predominant for the heavy rock feel. This song would work well into someone’s gym workout playlist as it has this energy that pushes throughout the whole song.
One song that stands out from the album is Freak Show, the guitars come right in with this solid dark tone. The vocals are pushed but not to far to be unclear. This song sets the mood for any mosher looking to pit. The song continues to sway and churn till a mid-melodic break; vocalist Pedro Lopes then comes in with a clean passage carrying the song into a soulful solo before going back into the chaos. This song has the kitchen sink thrown in and is very nostalgic to those early styled metal bands.
Coma has a lot of potential; the songs are solid, and the production quality is well done. The instruments all have stand out parts in the album as well to show their musicianship. My only complaint can be some of the interludes like 5 Minutes Alone, and 1984 kind of throw off the balance of the album.
These songs are more electronic based and rely on keyboards to push the music. They feel out of place within the ensemble of heavy drums and distorted guitars on all the other tracks.
Vella comes off as a band that could easily fit in on many bands tour packages. The music is versatile to fit in with many hard rock/radio metal bands. If you are looking for an album that has a nostalgic feel of early 2000s alternative metal give Coma a listen. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/vellamusicband/ Instagram: @vellamusicband
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