Saint Vitus
V

For all those who have loved or continue to love the doom genre, Scott "Wino" Weinrich will remain a paternal figure, a musical surrogate father who, with his tales of trips and trash, has nurtured thousands of fans. Because despite the fact that the Saint Vitus remain a band, separating them from Weinrich is difficult, especially for those who believe (like yours truly) that it is precisely with Wino that the Californian band has given its best.

So, like an ancient ancestral call in a period of existentialist doom rather than acid (perhaps more appropriate for summer), one must always respond to the call to listen to Saint Vitus. But then again, why always dwell on the great masterpieces and not give a fresh look to a less idolized work? That great "V" caught my eye, and there begins the umpteenth acid trip by Saint Vitus: like the others, it is well worth listening to.

"V" is a decidedly more structured work compared to the self-titled debut or "Hallow's Victim": a more doom and less "acid" album, along the lines of the martial cadences of "Mournful Cries", a work from 1988. "V" sees the light two years after that mentioned album and follows its trail, trying to reap its rewards with the usual great class that Saint Vitus have made known to us in their history. There's no innovation except for a less sickly and more "dense", more considered rhythm. However, the mesmerizing and fungal structure of the tracks does not change: "Living Backwards" in just two minutes teaches doom to all contemporary bands trying to break through with self-serving complexity. Abrasive atmosphere, Wino's unhealthy voice, drugged references: you couldn't ask for more. The LSD pies continue with "I Bleed Black" and "Ice Monkey", two splendid examples of the "Vitus style", which even today many try to reformulate with less success and quality than the Los Angeles masters.

In less than 40 minutes, "V" (naturally the group's fifth studio album) expresses all the characteristics of acid doom, which has nothing in common with the purely reflective and existential style of bands like My Dying Bride and early Anathema. These groups would never have composed a ballad full of sand and fire like "When Emotion Dies" nor would they have ventured into the drunken rhythms of the two long "Patra" and "Jack Frost".

It may not be "Born Too Late," but "V" is another demonstration of class and quality. The fifth bullseye in five attempts, from 1984 to 1990. May God (or whoever on his behalf) preserve them until the end of time.

1. "Living Backwards" (2:31)
2. "I Bleed Black" (5:14)
3. "When Emotion Dies" (2:11)
4. "Patra (Petra)" (7:32)
5. "Ice Monkey" (4:01)
6. "Jack Frost" (7:26)
7. "Angry Man" (4:30)
8. "Mind Food" (3:12)