Vexing Hex – Solve Et Coagula
Release Date: 21st June 2024
Label: Wise Blood Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Heavy Rock, Occult Rock.
FFO: Ghost, Devotee, Hazelmaze.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
As I write this review, it is hot as hell where I am at, and it is making me wish for my beloved spooky autumn vibes. I mean, who doesn’t love the crisp air, horror themed everything, and no one questioning you about wearing black all of the time? Something tells me the gents of Vexing Hex can feel what I am throwing down. Since 2014, they have been working on perfecting a blend of pop, occult rock, 80s heavy metal and new wave, and punk. There might be a small sprinkling of other elements in there, but you get the drift. To sum it up, singer/guitar player Cadaverus, Lord of Dread states “We tend to wear our influences on our wizard’s sleeve, with artists such as GHOST, DANZIG, ALICE IN CHAINS, THE BEATLES, and DEVO being some that come to mind.” Anyone feeling that blend? It’s quite a pot luck of sound.
The pros: I will give it to Vexing Hex-they can craft a catchy tune. There are a lot of strong pop sensibilities in the songwriting, and they follow a pretty standard pattern for the flow of a good toe tapping track. It is worth mentioning these ghouls started their career as a horror punk act called The Haunts, and they certainly ventured into more complicated songwriting than is typical for a lot of punk acts. Strong musicianship is a defining feature of Solve Et Coagula; there is not one weak link in the band when it comes to carrying out their role with ease and skill. The melodic nature of the tracks is also fantastic and worth highlighting. If you like a flair for the drama, then you will appreciate the lyrical content, band member titles, and their appearance.
The cons: in all fairness, the singer himself said they wear their influences on their sleeve, and this is an accurate statement. It is one thing to hear that influence sprinkled within an album, but it is quite another to really not be able to differentiate one band from another. While listening to Solve Et Coagula, my husband commented that “The Ghost corporation must be subcontracting out their work.” As amusing as this statement was to me, it is also not far off the mark. Vexing Hex really sounds like Ghost with slightly different lead vox. So to be fair, I decided to listen to their first album to see how that compared; the first track had a riff that was so close to something John Christ (Danzig) wrote that I just couldn’t get past it. I don’t expect every artist is going to be experimental or bring something to the table I haven’t already heard to some degree; that’s proving more and more difficult these days. But there is something to be said for trying to do something that helps to differentiate you somewhat from kindred spirits. If I can hear even subtle differences between my beloved black metal artists, then I should be able to hear it from a group that is incorporating so many musical styles into their work.
If you like Ghost, then you will probably love Vexing Hex. They are catchy, and the songwriting is decent. Overall, I just couldn’t get past how much they really lacked their own identity, and hence why I didn’t rate it higher. I wanted so much to be able to dig this album, but alas, sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.
Vexing Hex are:
Cadaverus, Lord of Dread – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Hastur, Lord of Madness – Bass, Vocals
Liminos, Lord of Illusion – Guitar, Vocals
Radament, Lord of Despair – Vocals, Drums
Viscera, Lord of Torment – Keys
(3 / 5)
