VENDEL is an epic heavy/doom meal band from Russia, who formed in 2015. After releasing a couple of EPs and a compilation, they are ready to launch their debut full-length album “Out In The Fields.” Alexey's soaring vocals, a ton of melody and harmonies, and a solid rhythm section make up the 6 song, 51 minute running time. There is often a fine line between more traditional flavors of doom and metal so this has a wide appeal for a variety of metal fans. The production is on point and the mix is damn near perfect. Like any good doom band, the bass is king. The guitars are varied enough, switching tempos, and offering up an engaging take on the power of guitars to direct the ebb and flow of a song. The drums are pure fire—rock solid foundation and complimentary of the elements they are responsible for holding up. Since there are only six songs, I will say a little something about each of them.

The first one is the aptly titled “Intro,” and it’s a full two minutes of balls to the wall metal instrumental. Honestly, I’m not even sure why it isn’t a part of the following song as it flows seamlessly into it. Regardless, it offers a grand opening. That next song is “Defender,” and it carries on the musical theme of the intro without skipping a beat. Galloping melodies and hard hitting rhythm guitar/bass create catchy doomed metal as the clean vocals come in. Alexey’s voice is amazing—he sounds like he is singing from some monolithic perch but he isn’t overly falsetto. The first half of the song is speedy, echoing the faster paced classic metal bands of old while the second half is slower paced, thick riffs. The band isn’t all guile and fury, however. David and Sergey let their melancholic side shine a bit with a clean opening, featuring a wonderful and moody guitar solo. It ends u blazing through as the band kicks it into high gear. This song has a real classic metal feel to it albeit much more heavy on the low end due to Lasha and Sergey S's constant hammering. After the five minute mark, galloping riffs are kicked off by a wail just before a solo rips through. This song is just simply amazing.

The aptly named “Dirge” cuts back on the rapid fire metal worship and opens up the doom portal a bit. The middle portion of the song is straight up crushing and one of my favorite moments on the entire album. The album has another treasure to give: The somber and melancholic that begins around the 6:41 mark. It’s simple but still emotive, the bass in particularly getting a chance to show what it can do. The band saves the best for last, with the two longest songs. “Vengeance,” is over 13 minutes in length and the title, and final, song is nearly 12. Neither of these pieces feel that long because there is zero time wasted. They are epic because they need to be, not because they should.

“Vengeance,” starts with ominous tones before it goes nearly silent as the drums fight their way through the atmosphere. The tension is palpable and I found my heart racing for what is coming. Clean tones help build up the layers before the song effortlessly rides the line between heavy and melodic. The song weaves in and out of both epic metal and doom worlds and the highlights are many, including the bass solo around the halfway mark. I love the way the song builds up from here, another great moment of tension building with pay off being a rousing guitar solo on top of heavy handed rhythms.

The title track starts off with clean tones and builds itself up just as well. The band is very adept at using their time wisely and revealing what only needs to be when it needs to be. The first part of the song is very fast, nearly thrashy in its approach. The middle portion brings the doom in spades before the epic conclusion. All in all, VENDEL’s “Out In The Fields,” is a fantastic album takes an old school approach but presents them in a modern enough way so it doesn’t feel like just another SABBATH/MAIDEN/PRIEST worship clone