VESTINDIAN hails from Bergen, Norway and have one EP and two full lengths to their credit. Their sophomore LP, “Verdande” was released on May 10, 2024 via Dark Essence Records. All things considered, though, they are a hard band to figure. Call it evolution, call it teething, they still seem to be looking for their center. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You can cover a lot of interesting terrain as you explore both inward and outward. “Verdande,” which translates to ‘becoming,’ seems to emulate just that—an exploration into new or forgotten realms.

In their promo material the band states the album “was written in a basement in Bergen and on a secluded island in the Barents Sea. Out in the open sea, the music gained more air and space, without losing its claustrophobic and chaotic roots from underground.” That feel certainly comes across. There is a depth to this album that sometimes suggests the open sea and at other times the winding underdark.

“Verdande” comprises eight tracks with a full run time of 43 minutes. Each track is titled in Norwegian but sung in English. Musically, the album is replete with various influences. Overriding all is a Psych vibe but instead of it coming through Stoner wavelengths it comes through three primary channels: bursts of thrashy Punk, flourishes of discordant Black Metal, and intermittent waves of Atmospheric. And that brings us right back to the beginning—this album is all about exploration.

As one might expect, the album starts and ends in very different places. Track one, “Humus,” is heavy on the Psych aesthetic, tapping into an Eastern ambiance and then shifting into sort of cosmic blues. Next, “Evig Iys” (trans: Eternal Light) starts off as solid Rock piece reminiscent of WUCAN sans the flute. This resolves into more of a Black Metal dirge. The tremolo isn’t there but Torjus Slettsnok shifts from clean vocals to classic BM ‘abandoned stone cellar’ vocals.

With track three, “Etter Ilden” (trans: after the fire), there is a distinct undertow of “Immigrant Song” in the first 45 seconds. Kind of cosmic trippy song, this one. You also get the Eastern flourishes, and the vocals are back in the stone cellar. I liked it. Track four, “I en hule under berget” (trans: in a cave under rock), is a confused jumble of Psych Doom and Power Metal with touches of a faux choir. It felt like someone was trying too hard with this one or had a bad D&D nightmare. The following track, “Alt vårt” (trans: all ours) takes the same theme but improves upon it.

We pick up some pace with “Forbu stillheten” (trans: beyond the silence). This track throws out some solid Punk riffs which are later augmented with synths. The mix of styles fits together pretty well. We then come “Verdande.” Although positioned to make a grand statement, it is the title track after all, it pretty much fails at an epic level. After six minutes of uninspired synth, we are swept up in a too-earnest cascade of desperate crooning. I probably could have done without this one.

The final track, “Innover” (trans: inwards) is one of the strongest tracks on the album. This should have been the title track. Even with an unneeded Atmospheric break in the middle the song comes across as angry and visceral. A fine closer, this one. The entire album would have benefited from more energy like this one.

VESTINDIEN covers a lot of ground with “Verdande.” Whether they are trying to find their center and experimenting with a variety of styles or if their center is actually all about the journey, “Verdande” is worth the fare.