Via the Verge has produced a solid effort with their debut self-titled EP. Discerning listeners and musicians, don’t touch the knob: This six-song effort sounds immaculate and is expertly mixed. With this first release, the future is bright for this Norman, OK-based quintet, tastefully implementing time signatures and key changes while avoiding anything that feels gimmicky or forced. Unlike other bands in their post-hardcore, progressive rock genre, they don’t wear you out with a barrage of speed drumming and staccato guitar riffs. Instead, they leave the listener with enough space to breath and absorb what they just heard, a nod to their ability to write a true song. Each track is its own animal, presented in such an organic way, unforced with respect for the musicianship that drives it. Newly acquired vocalist Joseph Kelm drops deep, guttural vocals as an accent, inserted only on an as-needed basis. Manning a tiny raft in a sea of prog-rock and metal bands, the question for Via the Verge is whether they will survive long enough to rise above the tide, and they are definitely worth following to find out.
Features
A Disparate Vintage
On Tigerwine's latest, 'Nothing is for You,' vocalist and lyricist Trobee departs from the band's last effort as a concept record to write about an array subjects. Notably, Trobee tackles his evolution from rigid belief system to an acceptance and understanding of other ideas: "Through touring and becoming close with those very people I was taught to be afraid of, I realized how untrue it all is."
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HM Magazine Turns 35
In 1985, Doug Van Pelt photocopied a letter-sized sheets of paper, bound them together, and handed them out in person on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It's all digital now, but, along the way, Van Pelt stirred up quite a few waves, played some seriously heavy music, and made a few friends along the way. Here: A quick look back at the magazine's 35-year history with Van Pelt and new owner, David Stagg.
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Becoming Comrades
The trio of Comrades – husband and wife Joe and Laura McElroy alongside drummer John Gaskil – is used to living in a van and touring the country. Now, their new normal has provided them with a moment to "be adults" for once. We recently sat down with the McElroys to talk more about the spiritual reality within life, how soon they'll be able to release new music, and how koalas are their new normal.
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A Voice of Life
Almost 27 years after the band's first studio album, P.O.D.'s message is arguably more important than ever. "I believe (our message) is even more relevant now than it was then. If you really listen to 'Youth of the Nation,' we still have these tragedies going on. There’s a lot of searching still going on out there."
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