SAINT VITUS - Lillie: F-65 CD
Season of Mist
Genre: Doom
Back around the end of March I caught part of a review for this (by chance in a promo email) the first new release for SAINT VITUS in seventeen years as well as being the first studio album since 1990's V to feature Wino (aka: Scott Weinrich) on vocals. I didn't bother trying to read the whole review (obviously I didn't want to taint my own opinion of it) which was written by some anonymous interweb scribe on a well known Doom site. All I do know is that the writer had a few complaints which to me read like over hype let down syndrome. That's when some interweb scribe starts believing his own over hyped horseshit analysis of a band that he's written tons of creative writing crap about and not the actual truth which is always in order to favor the writer and not the artist. And now after confronted with reality lashes out at said band complaining that they are not worthy to stand upon the pedestal he imaginary created for them. Also it's impossible for said interweb scribe to write a glowing review in order to highlight himself and not the band. In other words the writer who gave this the lackluster review I saw is a disappointed hipster bitch.
Actually the best pre-release opinion I heard came from a lady friend of mine who upon hearing a stream of the new SAINT VITUS song "Let Them Fall" she posted on her Facebook page "Middle Finger High! You can't mess with the VITUS mofos." After I told her about someone already writing a lackluster review for Lillie: F-65 her reaction was "It's VITUS! (It) sounds killer!" In other words she gets it where other's (aka: Internet snobbish scribes) don't. If you don't like Lillie: F-65 then maybe you don't really like SAINT VITUS and you have been in denial (hipster denial) which is not a river in Egypt. To like SAINT VITUS you must be comfortable with minimalism which is what this band is all about. Lillie: F-65, which is the name of a barbiturate or downer to you young people, is SAINT VITUS at their simplistic usual selves through and through. On here you've got Dave Chandler cranking out his Tony Iommi inspired riffs which are as heavy and slow like trying to drag a dead bull across the desert. His soloing work is about as wild and frizzy as his hair if he took the bandanna off. As far as Wino, well he's Wino and the rhythm section of bassist Mark Adams and drummer Henry Vasquez (who replaced Armando Acosta, who died in 2010) just keep time right.
With the exception of Vasquez on drums (who follows in the drumming style of Acosta perfectly), all of the key ingredients which made albums like V, Mornful Cries and Born to Late (aka: the Wino era albums) are here. Obviously it's Chandler who leads the way for the sound and style since he's the main songwriter of all this band's material. Wino's role is his unique voice which is always gutsy, powerful as well as soulful. Also the more I listen to Chandler's riff work on here the more I see him as the master with peers copying him nowadays. Now as far as the songs go well it's the patented SAINT VITUS album formula at work as well as the pattern. In other words there's some memorable songs which fall right in with their great stuff from the past and then there's some ok tracks which you'll pass up after a while. As for the good stuff well opener “Let Them Fall” is magnificent. The next one, “The Bleeding Ground” sounds like “Let Them Fall” part two but with a more psych damaged solo. After the instrumental "Vertigo", which does break the monotony the next cut “Blessed Night” delivers some needed speed. As far as the latter three cuts go the song "Dependence", which is the longest cut on here, is the band's signature bleak cut for this release.
So that's pretty much it. After a seventeen year wait you get seven new tracks with two being instrumentals and only three out of the five other cuts being great in my not so fuckin humble opinion. Actually that comes out to be right if you consider their past releases. Some people (aka: losers) will complain that this is a short release. So fuckin what? I'd rather have a handful of good tracks than a bunch of filler. Besides Chandler knows that this new era of SAINT VITUS is not forever and you people should feel lucky that you got something new at all. Out of everyone in the band Wino has shown than he can do whatever he wants and do it well so he's not beholden to this outfit. Secondly this band's best material is always going to be their earlier stuff. When they first reunited the fans at the shows wanted to hear material off of V and Born to Late. That's just the way it is people. Lillie: F-65 is not a incredible comeback album which will launch SAINT VITUS into a new era. It doesn't break away from their tried and true formula thankfully. It's these guys doing what they do best and if you don't like it fuck off.
Rating: 3/5
Label: http://www.season-of-mist.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintvitusofficial
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