Dying Victims Productions, jewelcase, sticker, obi, VENDEL are an epic heavy metal band hailing from Moscow, formed in 2015 by a group of friends who are all members of the local metal community. From the onset, their inspiration was taken from genuine NWOBHM and ‘80s doom metal as well as the history and archeology of the Dark Ages period, which serves as the strongest influence on the band’s lore and their attendant lyrical and visual concepts. This combination – with a particular emphasis on the epic side of heavy metal ala classic Candlemass, Manilla Road, and Viking-era Bathory as equally as contemporary doom informed by the likes of the UK’s Solistice and Russian heroes Scald – manifested in VENDEL’s self-titled debut EP in 2017. Lyrically and aesthetically, there was a deep appreciation of the late Iron Age, also known as the “Vendel Era,” and hence the band’s moniker. They followed up that EP with another one, titled Dirge, in 2019, which included one new track as well as covers of Manilla Road and Saint Vitus. Also in 2019, VENDEL made their first live appearance outside Russia at the Riddle of Steel Fest, which made a huge impact on the band’s next activity. At long last, that “next activity” has manifested in VENDEL’s debut album, Out in the Fields. While the band’s first full-length comprises two songs rerecorded from their EPs – the first one’s “Defender” and the title track to Dirge – this structure more so underlines where VENDEL are coming from and, with a suitably stage-setting intro segueing into the first track, then where they are going. Absolutely HUGE in sound and songwriting, atmosphere and execution, VENDEL here give a masterclass in EPIC heavy metal; “doomed,” definitely, but there’s energy to spare no matter the tempo, and thus do the four component tracks of Out in the Fields seemingly fly by in a flash. Make no mistake, the journey is vast in scale and arduous in terms of emotional reserves tapped, but the album is utterly engrossing each (HUGE) step of the way. Thankfully, VENDEL don’t abandon their core sound but, rather, re-solidify it with bigger & better production, performances that dazzle in their technique yet hit hard with their physicality, and vocalist Alexey Goryachev absolutely spellbinding the listener with tales of heroism and death, particularly on the poignantly titled “Never Surrender.” It all becomes the very definition of what a debut album should be. Fans of the aforementioned as well as Solitude Aeternus, Atlantean Kodex, labelmates MEGATON SWORD, and even Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath, you are hereby commanded to bend the knee before VENDEL’s Out in the Fields. NEVER SURRENDER!
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