Style: Progressive Metal, Post Metal, Doom Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Katatonia, Swallow the Sun, Votum
Review by: Christopher
Country: Chile/International
Release date: 23 June, 2023
Here we are, we’re (approximately) halfway through the year, and I hate to say it but this hasn’t been a great year for the progressive underground thus far (never fear, we’ve got a best of the year so far post in the works!). I’ve reviewed my fair share of works this year, and I can name many strong albums, but truly outstanding albums have been few and far between. Nevertheless, one of the strongest releases thus far is Sermon’s sophomore Of Golden Verse, and when I came across a band that ticked many of the Sermon boxes, I knew I needed to review them. Might we have another Of Golden Verse on our hands here?
Wooden Veins are a group of Chilean musicians spread across Europe, and Imploding Waves, their sophomore, was recorded variously in Chile, the Czech Republic, Spain and Germany. Javier Cerda’s vocals have a deep, gothic timbre; he croons gracefully atop the compositions, somewhat redolently of Sermon’s anonymous “Him”. And the similarities between the two bands compound: the same pounding intensity of drums under slower, dissonant rhythms, epic crescendos, and sombre lead guitar licks. Imploding Waves isn’t as polished as Of Golden Verse, and Wooden Veins leaning more on their post-metal roots at times, but they scratch a similar itch to Sermon.
Unfortunately, the mix and master on this release leave much to be desired. When the full band play, everything blurs into one wall of sound; guitar and synth become an indiscernible alloy, cymbal splashes blends in too, and the double bass canter has all the aggression of a sewing machine on max speed. It’s a shame because you can hear that a hell of a lot of very cool stuff is going on here, but the production doesn’t let the individual elements shine with the lustre they should. As a result, “Dreamside Death” is a somewhat weak opener, diving straight in with the full band and showcasing the production’s worst problems from the off. Wooden Veins like to play with dynamics, so these production problems aren’t always apparent, but when they do they’re significantly distracting.
Additionally, while the progressive sense of flow is impressive, Wooden Veins could push the envelope further. They show a desire to do this at times, as in the electronica beat under “L’apell du Vide” which transitions nicely into “Skies” which in turn plays with some more synth layers, for example, or the synth-heavy vocoder experiments of “Ganymede”. However, on some tracks they lean more into their doom and post-metal foundations—”The Dreamer” and “Broken World” in particular—and this is the side of Imploding Waves that proves less striking. Maybe it’s an obvious point to make on a prog blog, but I prefer Wooden Veins when they’re more progressive.
Grandiose, creative, and catchy, Imploding Waves does just about everything one would expect from this particular type of progressive metal. And yet, while there’s much to admire here, there are more directionless tracks which lean too heavily on doomier trappings, and the entire record is let down by lacklustre production. To be clear, I don’t want Wooden Veins to sound more like Sermon, merely to sound more like themselves; to capitalise on what makes them great and refine it. Despite these setbacks, Imploding Waves has still managed to charm me and demonstrates that Wooden Veins are a band worth watching.
Recommended tracks: Tearing Seas, Skies, Calling
You may also like: Sermon, Athemon
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Ardua Music – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
Wooden Veins is:
– Alberto Atalah (drums)
– Javier Cerda (vocals)
– Juan Escobar (guitars)
– Juan Díaz (bass)
– Eduardo Poblete (synth)
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