VNDTA - Pale Glow EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 13 Apr 2018

Tracklist:

1. Pale Glow

2. Excuses

3. Swine

4. Martyr

5. Rare Breed

6. Leeches

7. Virus

Bands that work hard at their craft and don't rush to release music usually turn out better than their peers. Hertfordshire, UK quartet VNDTA have been plying their trade since 2015 but are only now about to release their debut EP, "Pale Glow". They've spent the time honing their own alternative/progressive metal sound with influences ranging from No Doubt, to Slipknot and Thy Art Is Murder and have notched up live slots with the likes of Human Mycosis and King Leviathan (amongst others). 

VNDTA make a very controlled racket with loads of modern metal and melody on their EP’s title-track. What set’s them apart for me is the brutal vocal delivery of Megan Targett. She has a very impressive vocal range that includes soaring clean singing, but those roars are something else! The instrumentation is very much akin to the progressive music performed by the likes of Periphery and such, but they’re able to add deft touches of atmosphere on Excuses. The lyrics in the song add a bilious feel. The more you listen to “Pale Glow” the more VNDTA proves to be something very special. Swine includes more of the impressive clean singing I wrote about above and adds in some great off-kilter, alternative guitar work. The drums are ferocious too and help lead the transitions between tempos really well. 

The immediate impression of Martyr is one of full-scale thrashing madness and it lasts throughout the song, though it’s dialled down when the quartet launches another progressive attack. This is the most infectious song on the EP I think and it really strikes a chord. They carry all of that momentum into Rare Breed, which is where their song-writing really seems to step up a gear. It’s full of emotion and anger, as well as solid metal riffs and the kind of percussive drop that would make any festival crowd jump and mosh like their lives depended on it. By the time penultimate song Leeches comes around, VNDTA has full on nailed it and are exuding the confidence of a band much bigger. EP closer Virus has both real sing-along quality and attitude in equal measure. It draws a line under a debut release that’s a serious contender for EP of the year. What a fucking band!

You can stream the song Martyr via Youtube below:-

Keep an eye on the band's Facebook page for news on the EP release - https://www.facebook.com/VNDTA/