Now in their twelfth year, Vanna are certainly no strangers to the metalcore scene. Whilst their sound has changed and developed throughout the years, now onto their sixth album it’s clear backing down is not an option. Picking off from where 2014’s ‘Void’ left off, ‘All Hell’ proves they’re still as pissed off as ever and not afraid to show it.

Kicking off with ‘Paranoia Euphoria’, Davey Muise’s vocals still as vicious as before but perhaps more notably melodic than the previous album. Their ability to perfect the balance between clean and unclean vocals is still as evident as ever as it is not a quality commonly seen amongst bands in the same genre. ‘Pretty Grim’ follows a very similar structure to the previous track but the addition of an anthemic chorus bound to be a crowd pleaser stands out.

Though the whole blah-blah “fuck the world” and “everything is corrupt” concept is hugely overdone in metalcore alone, Vanna manage to do it in their own pleasing and angry fashion, especially in ‘Circle The Flame’ which borders on religious ideologies. ‘Flower’ is heartfelt and passionate while still bold in its approach, finishing off with a soft acoustic sequence – definitely a stand-out for the soppy listener like myself.

The following tracks follow a similar rawness to one another – most notably ‘Reaping a Whirlwind’ which is carried by hard hitting drum-work and more brutal vocal work reminiscent of the previous album. Ending the album, ‘Lead Balloon’ begins with a pleasing bendy riff and is once again powerful with its lyricism. This track in itself definitely leaves you wanting more.

Cliché as it is, Vanna have certainly matured from their previous material and managed to maintain but develop elements. Alongside it’s progressiveness, ‘All Hell’ is certainly an album you can listen to in one sitting and still want to go back to the start afterwards and I look forward to hearing further evolution of Vanna in the future.

4/5

‘All Hell’ by Vanna is out on Pure Noise Records.

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Words by Phoebe Messenger (@kangaezu_ni)