VaiN
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1. Vain, US Glam Rock band from California who achieved a top 40 album in 1989 (No Respect) which was later voted 2nd best Glam album ever in a poll by Classic Rock Magazine (UK). The band recently toured Europe to promote their latest album and were supported by UK Rock bands Red Star Rebels and New Generation Superstars.
2. VaiN, a US progressive metal band from Minnesota. (see full feature below).
| VaiN | |
|---|---|
 Current lineup: from left to right: Joe Kuntz, Joe Mladek, Andy Davenport, Mike Marson, Jon Windholz |
|
| Origin | South Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 2002 – Present |
| Genres | Industrial Metal Progressive Metal |
| Members | Jon Windholz Mike Marson Joe Kuntz Joe Mladek Andy "Randall" Davenport |
| Website(s) | Official site |
VaiN is a progessive/industrial metal band from South Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their musical styles have been described as an amalgam of such groups as Mudvayne, American Head Charge, Cannibal Corpse, Cradle of Filth, Fear Factory, Pantera, and Rammstein. They produced and released their debut full-length album Through the Eyes Bleeds the Soul in August of 2004, and were featured in Strictly High School, a local intra-high school newspaper, the same year. The group was voted second place in the 93X battle of the bands in October 2004. Their experiences through the competition were chronicled in the music documentary Find Your Own Way by Marcusbrox Ideas, released in 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Musical Style
VaiN's music is frequently different to categorize under specific subgenres of heavy metal, due to the diverse vocal, lyrical, and instrumental aspects present in the songs. One of the more unique aspects of their compositions is the rejection of the common AABA format of songwriting. This is in part what attributes them to progressive metal. Many of their songs both feature repeated verses where choruses would be expected and numerous bridges are inserted throughout many pieces. In addition, most of their songs push past the commonly accepted duration of a single being 3 minutes, with many of their songs running approximately 5 minutes long.
[edit] Vocals
Lyrical subject matter does not match that of death metal, though vocalist Jon Windholz makes extensive use of death grunt vocals. Windholz also frequently juxtaposes these growls with straightforward singing, usually during the chorus, to provide added lyrical emphasis in a manner similar to melodic death metal bands such as Scar Symmetry and In Flames. Many tracks off their debut album feature dual-recorded tracks of Windholz both singing and growling, while live performances usually feature him choosing the more mood-appropriate method for a given portion of the song.
[edit] Guitar
The guitar tracks on VaiN songs are uncharacteristically clear for a band from an extreme metal genre, lacking the low-toned thrashing sound of many other popular artists. The melody is almost always audible and distinguishable. This is in part due to their lack of a rhythm guitar player, which allows the lead parts to come through more clearly. Mike Marson's riffs range from smooth, melodic patterns featured on "Never Forget" and "Cold" to shredding sequences as featured in the solo of "Mute". Marson lists guitar legend Dimebag Darrell as a personal influence in both learning guitar and composing music.
[edit] Keyboards
The use of keyboards is a characteristic element in VaiN's music. The range of ways in which they are utilised is equally as characteristic. The keyboards are frequently set to generate sounds mimicking chimes instead of classical keys, though synthesized orchestras and thunderstorms have been generated and featured on tracks such as "Scarred for Life".
[edit] Bass
The bass guitar is featured in a variety of ways. Besides sharing the drumset's role of establishing the beat, parts are written that provide a reverberating downtone for atmosphere and key. Also, possibly most notably is the frequency with which the bass provides separate harmonies against the lead guitar without simply doubling the lead part. This is seen more frequently in their later works, where the absence of a rhythm guitar prompted the band to incorporate the bass more in the overall harmonics.
[edit] Band Members
[edit] Current:
- Jon Windholz - vocals
- Mike Marson - guitar
- Joe Kuntz - drums
- Joe Mladek - bass
- Andy "Randall" Davenport - keyboards
[edit] Former:
- Bobby Phan - rhythm guitar
- Adam Benson - rhythm guitar
- Martin Triviski - keyboards
- Mike Rankin - bass
- Jim Verbout - bass
- Adam Moser - bass
[edit] Discography
[edit] Through the Eyes Bleeds the Soul - 2004
Track Listing:
1. Framed
2. Suffocate
3. Blame
4. Sadistic Statistic
5. Never Forget
6. Cloud9 I'm Not Sailing
7. Dream Killer
8. Cold
9. Scarred For Life
10. Sticks and Stones
[edit] Projected Demo - 2007
Track Listing:
1. Mute
2. Demon Inside Me
3. My Only Regret
[edit] Projected Untitled Album - 2007
[edit] Videography
- Find Your Own Way - scene cut and used for the music video for "Cold"
- See the "Cold" music video here [1]|
