This is the third album from Swedish sludge metal band Vak.
The Islands contains 50 minutes of progressive sludge metal. Taking in parts of doom, sludge, stoner, psychedelic, and progressive rock, Vak build musical structures that are unusual and impressive.
Progressive sludge may be a rather nebulous term, but it covers what Vak do well enough. At least as a starting point anyway, as one of the striking things about The Islands is its fully formed and rather individual personality. Vak seem to know exactly who they are and have established a potent voice of their own to express this.
This is an album of strong songwriting and emotive moods. It’s a multifaceted blend of the band’s various influences, all distilled into music that’s emotively atypical. It doesn’t so much walk a path less travelled, as creates new paths all of its own. With a harsh, angry core that’s covered in beautiful colours that swirl and move in unpredictable ways around a fierce heart, The Islands is an album that shouldn’t make sense, yet strangely does. It’s an amalgamation of familiar ingredients combined in unfamiliar and exotic ways.
Enriched with synths and surely inspired by crazed dreams of bright, colourful landscapes, The Islands is an evocative album that sets out its expressive presence right from the start. This is a progressive masterclass, one that draws from its sludge, doom, and stoner influences just enough to provide some familiar touchpoints, but not so much as to dilute its fierce air of idiosyncratic individuality.
While all of the album exhibits Vak’s quirky sense of songcraft and delivery, it’s the second set of four songs that truly find the band spreading their creatively progressive wings. This is where the real work of exploratory, mind-bending worldbuilding gets done. The first four songs set the scene, and the second four dress it vividly.
The Islands is a wonderful album that caters to people who want something a little different from their music. It’s a progressive sludge record that will have you hypnotised by its maelstrom of hues and the overstimulating sensory experience that it provides.
So waste no time, jump right into Vak’s world and start exploring.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 