With a name taken from the last know brothel in Bergen, the band Vestindien was formed in 2009 as an up-and-coming hardcore band with a heavy metal twist. But only one year after the release of their 2011 EP “We are the Lords of Hellfire”, and despite having built up a solid following eager to experience the band's frenetic live shows, Vestindien called it a day.
Some years later, though, the band re-emerged and changed their style quite a lot. The band's current lineup consists of Torjus Slettsnok on vocals, Simon Skøien on guitars, Karl Johan Johannessen on drums and Pål Eirik Veseth on bass, and their debut is demonstrating an introverted and less hardcore aggressive approach to their art.
With the new sound, the band started playing around the venues in Bergen, and supporting bands like Taake among others.
There are still hints of their hardcore roots, but the band has engulfed themselves in a dark shroud conjuring the essence of black metal, punk and old school rock’n’roll. The songs are dark, desperate and desolate, but there are also hard punches of energy and groove.
With the debut album “NULL”, they present a quite unique approach to a dark, harsh and sinister old-school metal sound.
Please, if you love this, go listen to the 2002 December Wolves album "Blasterpiece Theater" - this is less crazy than that, but a spiritual (no pun intended) successor!!! BookendS
Swirling guitars, furious drums, vocals that at the same time howl from infinite distance and are right up in your head; everything put into dissonant form with the help of unconventional songwriting. This album is my personal key to the icelanding black metal madness that I've ignored for way too long! Lukas Kaufmann
Pretty much the best Black/Speed Metal I've listened to since I learned about Evil Invaders and Vulture. Everything you'd love to be reminded of about this musical era is there. The influences are what you'd expect too: Motörhead, Venom, Bathory, early Slayer, Celtic Frost; aggressive vocals, tortured guitar solos, pounding drums; everything is fast, clear and still a little grimy, but without reverb cranked up to the max. Amazing band, amazing album. Odiumediae
Toronto band Respire deliver a post-hardcore tour de force on the largest scale possible, orchestrally rich and incessantly uncompromising. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 6, 2021