Vaux

There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them (Volcom)
by Ewan Wadharmi

The unappetizing opener “Set It To Blow” would’ve gone down better nestled between some of the more inventive tracks. Start out with something less harsh and lead up to the wild-eyed vomit spewing. Don’t want to turn off the more sensitive customers right off the bat. And if relentless onslaught is your gig, the rest of the selections will eventually leave you wanting, so buy the single. Weapons of choice are blunt instruments. Grinding and bashing rather than piercing, and there’s breathing room before the next attack. “On Love and Cars” tempers the steel with a creepy Mysterians organ. From this platform, defibrillating rhythms smack the math-metal drum in the same measure that most nü metal bands infuse turntables (and to all bands still using turntables: Abort mission. Experiment failed. Return to Base). Vaux seems to fulfill the promise Filter never made good on. Experimental rock bits are swirled into the metal base, which should appeal to folks growing weary of Tool’s whining. You’ve never before heard screaming like this and still detected a melody.
(1740 Monrovia Ave. Costa Mesa, CA 92627)