The Very End
Vs. Life

The Very End is a young band from Germany that with Vs. Life mark their debut. Their musical formula is as simple as it is effective: melodic death and half thrash/groove metal (think Pantera or Machine Head) fused together and played with a damn modern attitude that often emerges in the vocal solutions. Lead singer Bjorn Goosses manages to impressively alternate growls, screams, and clean vocal parts. The guitarists' work oscillates between groove-rich parts and a solo work that harks back to the golden age of metal; the rhythm section is a true war machine that guides the rest of the band through the various tempo changes that characterize the record.

The offer of the young German quintet consists of 11 tracks (plus bonus tracks) concise and direct, but not for that simple or devoid of musical content; often there is a true festival of riffs and tempo changes and musical direction. Just to give an example, try listening to "Minus Everything": it starts arpeggiated almost taking the path of a ballad à la Nevermore, then explodes into a guitar lead and transforms into a death metal piece with progressive influences; the central break of the piece is very beautiful. In some cases, this overabundance turns into the classic "too much of a good thing", as happens on "Bleed Tomorrow" (which still hits home with a great chorus), and even more so on "The Negative", where the thread almost seems to be lost. Another rather complex piece is "Stabwounds", which nevertheless manages to maintain excellent levels, thanks to the excellent work of the singer and the great chorus, which you will start singing in the shower right after listening to it.

Among the more direct and easier to assimilate tracks, I highlight the wonderful "Sewn Eye Sleep", sung almost entirely in clean, with excellent work by the Bogdanski-Rummel guitar duo. Following the same line are the groovy "The Loss Theory" and the more brutal "Silencing", a perfect blend of death and thrash. Other highlights of the record include the opener "Flatline", with the final solo that seems straight out of the 80s (it vaguely reminds me of the one at the start of "A Shot In The Dark" by Ozzy Osbourne), and the subsequent "Death Ticket", a destructive track with easily assimilable vocal lines.

The production, really very good, strikes a middle ground between modern and classic, managing to make all the instruments stand out. The mastering was handled by his majesty Dan Swano, so trying to criticize it is quite pointless.

A very good record, certainly not perfect, especially in the desire to overdo that emerges at times; but if the morning shows how the day will be, The Very End will have a truly bright future.