Track By Tracks: Vriess - Vriess (2021)

Chris (Vocals): We just released an EP on Xenokorp and in order to immerse you in the music here are some details about each track. But before we start, you should know that these tracks were composed 12 years ago by me. These tracks were lying around in my hard drive without having really seen the light of day. It took this pandemic and its multiple confinements to resume the project. I of course proposed to my guitarist of Project For Bastards to come and contribute and the result is there! It was necessary to model the whole thing and the idea to surround ourselves with excellent musicians quickly came. We were lucky enough to have Kevin Paradis (Benighted) on drums and Linus Klauzenitzer (Obscura) on bass. Two very professional and reactive musicians! Pure happiness.

Let's talk about the songs:

Chapter I: The Fight:

This first track is in fact composed of an intro and a title. The second part was the first to be set up. Very fast, very raw, and violent, it was clearly defined from the beginning of the project that this would be the first track of the EP. There is something of Morbid Angel, notably in the solo, but we can also find influences of riffs such as Dying Fetus for example, groovy but brutal. As for the intro, it serves to put the listener in a dark atmosphere from the start. It was integrated thereafter as an obvious way to start this EP. A violent title, violent lyrics! I speak in particular about the fact that it is necessary to constantly fight in life, that there are obstacles, but that one can also find solutions.

Chapter II: The Curse:

Typically, this song is a mix of styles, an intro, and bridges a la Divine Heresy, a verse a la Suffocation, an interlude played a la goregrind, a solo that flies and harmonizes a la Morbid Angel. It's a stylistic crossroads if I do say so myself. I think it's the track that puts the bass forward the most and when you have Linus in the project, you can only say yes! There is also a guitar/drums game that complements each other well and gives that steamroller side. We feel clearly the modern side of the guitar riffs. The lyrics are more engaging and point out the fact that we must act (we, human people) if we want to survive on this Earth. A touch of an ecological message is present in the cover where we see buildings taking precedence over nature... It's our way to be part of this fight.

Chapter III: The Reality:

Did you say thrash? Like chapter 2, this track is also a fervent defender of modern riffs, but also of a very Sepultura groove (Slave New World). We can also discover a borderline hardcore side like Full Blown Chaos. It is the most mid-tempo track of the EP, but Kevin, on drums, has not prevented from incorporating some violent blasts. On the vocals side, the flow is quite pronounced and this has led to some critical lyrics about the fact that our society advocates violence on TV or in the media. If we did not know that this world could be violent, now we are served. To know that this is the only track that doesn't have a solo...

Chapter IV: The Reborn:

Our single! This track is in my eyes the most successful of all, the drum breaks are perfect, the tempo slower than usual for a violent side to Obituary, a bass that blends perfectly with the drums, the guitar riffs very sharp and very effective. We add not one but two solos of Christofer of Darkane who made us immense pleasure to appear on this piece (one of my favorite guitarists ....). Even the lyrics are not left out, they are more mature, more subtle, talking about having free will and looking for your own way.

This was the last song to be finished and maybe it's because of that that it seems to be the most worked. Moreover, it had the right to a video clip, in playthrough mode of each musician.

Chapter V: The Father:

Religion is a recurrent theme in my lyrics (even with Project For Bastards), more generally the fact of being guided in one's life by the word of someone else, by the "diktat" of others. This is one of my favorite themes. I understand the fact of wanting to believe in something else, but I don't understand that one can take advantage of it economically, or materially... By the way, a little anecdote, there was supposed to be a vocal guest on this track but it didn't work out because of a difference of opinion on the lyrics themselves.

Musically, this track is quite a mix of influences... until you get to a very slow and hypnotic part...

Greg worked hard to bring this track to a different level!

Thanks for the support! And above all, go to the concerts (when it's possible...), buy merchandising, listen on the platforms, get the CDs, there is only like that that the underground music will last.