Description

The latest resurgence of progressive modern metal has arisen with massive bands like Whitechapel, but it s inevitable arena of assertive street swagger and hyperfocused brutality is yet left vacant. Enter the UK s most exciting new talent, Vexed. The crushing Hertfordshire foursome combine aggressive groove mixed with ominous threads of progressive atmosphere on their long-awaited debut album, Culling Culture. If the release of two recent one-off singles served as an auditory love tap (i.e. Elite featuring Thy Art is Murder vocalist CJ McMahon, boasting over 500k independently driven cross-platform streams as of early 2021), Culling Culture is a wound-up suckerpunch. Hard-as-nails lead vocalist Megan Targett s vicious vocal assault blending venomously low growls, soaring cleans and razor-sharp rap-like deliveries (see Fake and Weaponise ) is backed by the pure technical proficiency of bandmates Willem Mason-Geraghty (drums), Jay Bacon (guitar) and Al Harper (bass). Airtight riffs à la genre greats Meshuggah and favorites like Periphery and Vildhjarta, an instigating rhythm section and stratospheric solos and leads prove that Vexed could just as confidently command the biggest open-air stages as they could the toughest of backroom hardcore shows.