DIY rock makes a comeback behind Colorado’s best: Vaux.
Whilst DIY rock has a habit of going horridly wrong in a similar to many of the poor bastards featured on those oh-so-popular TV shows, sometimes a brilliant combination of blood, sweat and good old fashioned elbow grease enables a band to succeed. Vaux are one of those type of bands. Expect no badly wired sockets or half tiled floors here.
Whilst Vaux are certainly not a plush palace with marble floors, they are definitely not a garden shed. They rage with a monstrous power and are able to weave so many different genres into their work that their new EP, ‘Plague Music’, gives a different, highly diverse sound with each listen. ‘Celibate Good Times’ and ‘Raid!’ are impressive works of gritty rock, but there are sounds to be found on ‘Plague Music’ that wave a hand in the general direction of Muse, At The Drive In and everyone’s favourite: good old-fashioned metal. The result is a growling melting pot that will spit and rage like a leopard on a bad trip at anyone who comes within hearing distance.
You might think that ‘Plague Music’ is simply a brutal attack with the intention of leaving your ears totally useless, but this is where Vaux become cunning. They stealthily place the eccentric ‘Sex Will Happen Tonight’ into the bubbling turmoil and give vocalist Quentin Smith a chance to shine in a way he is unable to do properly on the other tracks due to the three vicious, snapping guitars that hound his highly capable voice.
After such a relaxing take on sex, title track ‘Plague Music’ feels even more rough and ready. It gives a clear view at what a true hardcore group can achieve through simple hard work. Having funded their own tours whilst still in high school, Vaux are highly competent and after managing to win over a large amount of fans during their stint on the Warped Tour, Vaux are ready to take on the world. Perhaps DIY is back in fashion after all?