Vexes are very obviously influenced by Deftones, and the similarity (and the group own up to it) is inescapable.. Listening to even five seconds of their outstanding debut will make that fact astoundingly clear. However, it’s important to note the difference between one band trying to recycle their favorite band’s best songs and that group being wonderfully inspired. Ancient Geometry is most definitely the latter, as Vexes take their influences and run with it. Thankfully, they take the listener on one Hell of a ride. This silky smooth yet gloriously burly batch of spacey bangers may be one of the best Deftones records ever released, and it’s certainly going to be one of 2018’s best releases.
Where many would simply fail at trying to channel Chino’s ethereal vocals and Stephen Carpenter’s monumental spaced-out riffs, Vexes amplify what made Deftones’ best work so infectious and inspirational, taking on a more progressive post-hardcore angle (think Thrice and Cave In), with liberal doses of psych, post-metal, and even the most inspired instance of rap-metal this side of P.O.D. In fact, it’s that song, the seven-minute “No Color” that highlights just about all that makes Ancient Geometry rise above mere name-dropping. Charlie Berezansky’s wonderful vocals play perfectly in tandem with the rapped/screamed feature from Islander’s Mikey Carvajal, while massive riffs and an earworm chorus lead to possibly the most addictive seven-minute song I’ve ever heard. Later, a more pronounced Thrice (circa Vheissu) influence leads the listener down a nice proggy post-hardcore rabbit hole, with a closing riff that could open a portal to another dimension (though it does not last long enough).
Aside from the relative dip in quality in the closing title track, each song is anchored by a giant hook and doom-tinged riffing; yet, each is easily identifiable from the others. Vexes debut has come out from nowhere (well, the ashes of long-running group A Life Once Lost, but still) to release one of the most impressive and addicting slabs of progressive post-hardcore in ages. However, it’s the band’s tight emphasis on doing the simple things right (atmosphere, melody, and aggression) that allow the listener to latch on immediately,while the tight songwriting and layered sonic choices keep them coming back. Ancient Geometry can certainly be dinged for veering close to its sonic lineage, but this is the result of a band using their influences as a springboard for greatness, not the generic.
