On-again/off-again Connecticut doomers Vestal Claret make their latest return with the 7” Virgin Blood, released by Sarlacc Productions. The trio, which began anew even as frontman Phil Swanson announced his departure from outfits Hour of 13 and Nightbitch (Swanson has also done time in Earthlord, Atlantean Kodex and Upwards of Endtime, and may or may not still be a member of Seamount), market in formidable anti-Christian traditional doom, the guitar work of Simon Tuozzoli (see also Kings of Salem) setting a melodic stage for Swanson’s lyrical explorations of sin and occult mischief. Those who’ve followed Swanson through his many projects will find Vestal Claret hitting on familiar territory in terms of both his performance and overall style, but the two tracks of Virgin Blood – the cover of which features a menstruating nun masturbating with a sex toy, naked but for her habit (I didn’t use it as the lead image for this post in an effort to make it safe for anyone reading at work) – offer plenty of depth along with their Sabbath worship and ritualistic atmosphere.

Tuozzoli, who also helmed the recording, handles bass and guitar on Virgin Blood (one assumes, since there’s no one else listed on bass and he’s credited with “guitars”) and works in more classic metal influence that one finds in even the heavier moments of King of Salem, marking a distinct shift in approach for Vestal Claret. Together with drummer Michael Petrucci, he’s able to arrange complex structures around riffs that don’t sound redundant even when they repeat and choruses that are memorable without being hooky or overstated. That’s especially true on opener “Hex of Harm,” where Swanson incites the devil to smite his enemies with a signature New England-type Christian vision of witchery. The chorus here is particularly strong both musically and lyrically, and with the start-stop riff from Tuozzoli that follows and the subtle plod Petrucci adds to the drumming, it’s easy to get excited about the eventual full-length to come from the band. At about 4:20, the guitars break into the line that will serve as the basis for most of the song’s second half, eventually developing into a new structure of verse. It’s not an easy transition to make, but all three members of Vestal Claret pull it off, finishing heavy.

Side B of the vinyl gives way to “Allowance of Sin,” another solid slab of doom reaching toward the seven-minute mark and excellent complement for “Hex of Harm.” I kept hearing the line “Warm cold waters that baptize me” as “Warm koalas that baptize me,” but it’s pretty clearly printed in the sleeve of the 7”, so much as I wish that was the line, it’s definitely not. Nonetheless, the added stomp in the music of “Allowance of Sin” and its kind of arrogant swagger make up for any lack of Aussie fauna, and Swanson fits easily on top of the central riff, which should surprise no one at this point given his past work in Vestal Claret and elsewhere. Virgin Blood might not be a reinvention of the style, but if it’s where Swanson finally comes to rest band-wise, Tuozzoli’s guitar and songwriting prowess provides a weighty counterpoint. With reports of a double-album in the works – it would be their full-length debut – Vestal Claret have never seemed more potent or more relevant than they do with Virgin Blood, and if this is indeed a new launch point for their development as a band, I look forward to finding out where they’re headed next. Trad doom heads and vinyl hounds will want to take note.

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Tags: Connecticut, Sarlacc Productions, Vestal Claret

This entry was posted on Friday, May 13th, 2011 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.