{"id":264759,"date":"2025-11-15T18:46:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T18:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/264759\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T18:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T18:46:07","slug":"vandampire-hope-scars-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/264759\/","title":{"rendered":"Vandampire – Hope Scars Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Post- historically implies an evolution of or successor to a previous idea (modernism, rock, structuralism, punk, hardcore, colonialism, etc.). While a little nebulous, post-metal more or less riffs on the post-rock blueprint. It utilizes metal\u2019s intense, abrasive instrumentation to create an emotional vulnerability that even the best power ballads fail to capture. There is a tenderness in its crushing weight, a sense of freedom and catharsis in its restraint. It is this corner of the metalverse that South West England-based Vandampire inhabits. Founded in 2018 and with two EPs under their belt, Hope Scars not only marks Vandampire\u2019s debut full-length, but the official debut of their second guitarist, as well. Post-metal is a saturated field, though, and it\u2019ll take a lot for Hope Scars to stand out in the crowd.<\/p>\n

One thing I can say for certain is that Hope Scars stands head and shoulders above Vandampire\u2019s previous EPs. Past releases certainly contained all the elements on display here, but Hope Scars sees Vandampire mixing those sounds in elegant fashion. Where once sludge and post-metal stood apart or minimally integrated, here they are inseparable, a cohesive whole. Crushing, abrasive guitars (Joseph Siddons, Matthew Billingham) dance and thrash over basslines (Michael Edmonds) three c\u2019s thiccc. Drummer Mark Litchfield, rather than simply keeping time, enunciates and elevates his bandmates\u2019 performances. The result is tonally sludgy, like Kowloon Walled City, but softened by the patient, thorough sensibilities of post-metal songcraft. In keeping with this description, Billingham utilizes hardcore shouts and screams, but is smartly pushed back in the mix, so his vocals feel more like an instrument than a focal point. His delivery occasionally fails to capitalize on Hope Scars\u2019 more emotive landscape, but it\u2019s generally well-suited to the style. The Vandampire of Hope Scars is unmistakably the Vandampire of early EPs, but the maturity and nuance on display here is astonishing by comparison.<\/p>\n

Hope Scars by Vandampire<\/a><\/p>\n

As noted in their promo material, Vandampire\u2019s core weapon is The Riff\u2122, and Siddons and Billingham wield it well. They oscillate between stone and sludge with surprising dexterity, riffs effortlessly flowing from one to the next (\u201cUltralow,\u201d \u201cA Promise\u201d). Vaunted lead guitars soar over a dense rhythm section (\u201cHope Scars,\u201d \u201cLet Ruin End Here\u201d), reminding me of Explosions in the Sky and the erhu played on Deadly Carnage\u2019s Endless Blue<\/a>. Those leads are my favorite thing on the album, searingly bright amidst the sludge. Siddons and Billingham, in concert with Edmonds\u2019 teeth-rattling bass and Litchfield\u2019s lively and energetic drums, weave a spell both heavy and heartfelt, hopeful and tragic. Like a metal Mogwai, Vandampire ties your feet to a sinking anchor but always makes sure you can see light on the surface.<\/p>\n

\"\"Vandampire\u2019s evolved style on Hope Scars fails to avoid the bloated and poorly paced pitfalls of the genre. Hope Scars\u2019 two interludes break the album into three digestible parts, but ultimately prove frustrating. \u201cIn Ascension\u201d builds beautifully in the back half, but fades out and misses the opportunity to lead into \u201cEaves.\u201d I enjoyed the Americana tone of \u201cI Will Miss Everything I Forget,\u201d but this is also a standalone, and at three minutes each, these interludes linger entirely too long for what they are. The biggest bloatual offenders, however, are \u201cEaves\u201d and \u201cLet Ruin End Here.\u201d The former fades out halfway through its five-minute runtime, leaving me with ambient noises and muffled conversation that suggest they just\u2026forgot to turn off the mic. The latter begins to wind down a full three minutes before the end of its 12-minute runtime and concludes with 80 seconds of bird sounds. All told, Hope Scars could stand to lose at least ten minutes.<\/p>\n

Vandampire\u2019s vast improvement over previous efforts and an instrumental section that\u2019s absolutely locked in make for good, engaging music. There\u2019s a lot of great playlist fodder on here, but playlist fodder doesn\u2019t make a great album. Roughly a quarter of Hope Scars is fluff, and while some of it\u2014the interludes\u2014could have been better utilized, at least half of it just wastes time. Vandampire has come a long way since they started in 2018, and if Hope Scars proves anything, it\u2019s that they have the chops to go much further. I\u2019ll just have to wait until next time to see if they get there.<\/p>\n

Rating: 2.5\/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ripcord Records<\/a>
Websites: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:\n<\/p>\n