In 2021, British alternative metal act VEXED released their juggernaut of an album, “Culling Culture,” via Napalm Records. We were instantly blown away by the quality of their music, making them one of the more interesting acts emerging from that year. We were therefore quite happy to hear that they have a follow-up to their well-received debut record ready. “Negative Energy” was released on June 23rd, 2023, via Napalm Records, and explores themes of death, betrayal, pain, and grief.
As somebody who has experienced trauma, the instrumental opener, “PTSD,” really resonated with me on all sorts of levels. From the first second of this record, you instantly feel that the band has had a very traumatic time and is not interested in sustaining the cliche “everything is going to be alright” sunshine we often have to hear about. You hear flashes of a robotic voice saying different things, such as, for instance, “recovery is a long and difficult process,” along with heavy distorted guitars and breathing. The song transitions beautifully in the hard-hitting “Anti-Fetish,” the band’s first single supporting this record. The almost mechanical riff really slaps and overall, there are plenty of hooks present in this song that make things interesting.
“We don’t talk about it” follows in a similar manner. Vocally, there are great sections with Megan Targett rapping, growling, and generally just blowing everyone away with her voice. “X My <3 (Hope to Die)” starts off with a short atmospheric intro before it goes full-blast into a brutal, relentless track. One of my personal highlights on this record is the hard-hitting “Panic Attack,” a song that Targett described as sonically trying to resemble an actual panic attack in the vocals. The vocals are thus a rhythmic play, with a lot of rapping, while being extremely aggressive. “Lay Down Your Flowers” includes a guest appearance from Lochie Keogh (known from the Aussie metalcore act ALPHA WOLF), in what appears to be a brutal growl-off. The transition between both vocalists, however, is so smooth it’s almost not noticeable if you are not a fan of the band.
“There’s no place like home” is an unusual mix of darkness and pop culture, by mixing in references to The Wizard Of Oz. Towards the middle, there’s an almost robotic fragment audible from the movie quoting the famous line, which admittedly creates an overall eerie atmosphere in the song. The use of staccato in “Extremist” makes it an extremely dynamic track that adds a little bit of diversity to the record. The banger “Default” continues in a similar manner, but sounds overall like a groovy feast, with compelling guitar riffs. This is one of the first moments on the record, where we have the opportunity to listen to Megan Targett‘s clean vocals, albeit short-spanned, it makes for a shift in the track-listing.
While “Default” opened up the possibility of clean vocals, “Trauma Euphoria” takes it further again by adding in clean vocals into an overall powerful chorus. This is the most accessible song on the record and perhaps the perfect bridge between “Culling Culture” and “Negative Energy.” The song also includes one of the best guitar solos on the record, being very melodic, yet melancholic. At almost 6 minutes in length, “This is not the end” starts beautifully and minimally with clean vocals and some guitars, opening up about loss, but then turns into the most progressive track on this record, twisting and turning. The layered song is perhaps one of the strongest illustrations of how the band remains their authentic self and manages to resonate with people who have gone through similar things. Having recently been through loss of a couple of family members, the combination of “This is not the end” and “DMT” is heavy to listen to, but a terribly powerful statement for those going through the same emotions, ultimately giving me chills. While these two songs were an emotionally bitter pill to swallow, heavy on the soul, it was only natural for the band to end the record with a banger like “Nepotism.”
If this record had been released 10 years earlier, it would have probably helped me a lot in processing my anxiety and anger. I do know that this listening experience will help people who don’t need to hear that everything will be okay, who need to hear the truth in what it feels like having gone through trauma. “Negative Energy” is an unapologetic expression of raw emotion that focuses on authenticity and doesn’t hide the fact that it’s okay to not be okay. It might not give you answers, but at least it understands that you are never alone. Altogether, we couldn’t have wished for a better follow-up to “Culling Culture.”
Written by Laureline Tilkin
Tracklist
1. PTSD
2. Anti-Fetish
3. We don’t talk about it
4. X my <3 (Hope to die)
5. Panic attack
6. Lay down your flowers
7. There’s no place like home
8. Extremist
9. Default
10. Trauma Euphoria
11. It’s not the end
12. DMT
13. Nepotism
Lineup
Megan Targett – Vocals
Jay Bacon – Guitar
Willem Mason-Geraghty – Drums
Label
Napalm Records
