Vassline The Portrait Of Your Funeral

Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, you get your grubby, little hands on an amazing album that's not only ahead of its time, but had its beginnings in South Korea, in a country where I never imagined a "scene" would even exist. Vassline mixes aggressive hardcore, metal, and melody in a way that sounds familiar yet distinctly progressive. This is their second release, following a debut EP, "Blood Thirsty", on the Korean hardcore label, GMC records. "Portrait Of Your Funeral" starts out (surprise, surprise) with an instrumental track, complete with the background ambience/noise of a thunderstorm. This, of course, sets the stage for a mediocre listen, but Vassline apparently doesn't like to stick to the norm totally; the opening track, loosely translated as "The Most Harsh Fate" or better yet, "Unlucky", is a bass guitar instrumental. Not jaw-dropping of course, but at least they know how to jazz things up a bit and keep it original. The second track on the album, while not the strongest offering, is a decent enough way to introduce the listener to their sound, which can be scathing at times or mellow and mild as a summer's breeze (sorry, but I'll say anything to avoid using the word "melodic" more than once in a review, unless it's to make fun of said word). Track four, "The Expression of the Arrogant God," is by far the best sounding and most diverse song on the album. After some obscure movie clip (aren't bands supposed credit this kind of stuff), black metal riffs, spooky, broken English screams, and double bass pedal ensue. And although it doesn't detract from the sound (though some would argue with me on that point), it does seem as if the bass drum and maybe the snare are triggered. Go figure. The seventh and ninth tracks are the "PTW/FATA" ballads we've all come to know and love (c'mon, don't lie, you know you like 'em), which also give the album a little more flava', as the hip kids would say. Heck, there's even a little sing along near the end of song seven, which sounds nice despite the terrible English. As the album winds down and we graduate into the double digits, things pick up again. The tenth track, "Don't Close Your Eyes," sounds like the fourth in many respects, which is fine and dandy, but you get the feeling they could've done more with it than rip off one of their own songs. Right after that is "Boredom in the Pressure," which is particularly brutal, the singer being assisted by a guest vocalist from another Korean band. The last contribution from the album (like every other hardcore or metal release) is an acoustic track that fortunately has enough creativity so as to not lull the listener to sleep. Bottom Line: This record is, in so many words, very rad. Vassline to me isn't so much a diamond in the rough as it is a diamond that's lost behind the refrigerator. The only qualm I have with the album is that their English is, well, sub par. This is understandable, of course, since I would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the U.S. who would be willing to write and sing fluent, Korean hardcore. While I can't say that this record will change the face of hardcore as we know it today, it tops most of our bland "melodi-core" outfits, and I was quickly hooked after just one listen. The overall feel of the record pulls you in and doesn't easily let go, and no single song really is superior to another: they all rock. Not only that, but they accomplished this task with out one hackneyed breakdown! That, in my opinion, shows true musicianship; that they can emulate American bands while still dispersing their own unique elements throughout. Seoul City hardcore 4 life!