Vilify – Fever Dream (EP Review)

Posted on April 19, 2024 by ghaskins13

Vilify – Fever Dream
Released: April 19th, 2024

Lineup

Amy McIntosh // Vocals
Deni Hourihan // Guitar
Kieran Jackson // Drums
Lizi McIntosh // Bass

Online

Vilify tore through our airwaves with their first EP release in 2020, using their shared skills to cultivate a new and refreshing blend of the metalcore we all know and love. Now, four years later, the band returns with their latest offering, Fever Dream, which has seen them not only evolve musically, but thematically and personally. Tantalizing at each corner, Fever Dream is a collection of five tracks that showcase Vilify’s creativity, unwavering passion to communicate their feelings, and their ever-changing sound that remains true, identifiable and unique.

The EP opens with ‘Rot By Design’– and by no subtle means, of course. With a wobbly electronic slide, there is a brief moment of calm before descending into calamity. In turn, it offers the listeners a first introduction to some of the major pillars of Vilify’s new sound. A sound that holds a large emphasis between raw aggression and brain-scratching technological elements, marrying together to create a perfect dichotomy between the stripped anger of Amy McIntosh’s vocals, and the band’s surrounding prowess that sees the instrumentals speak in their own tongue. Setting the EP off to a high standard, ‘Rot By Design’ is relentless and unforgiving, filling every moment of space with a sheer expression of vexation, enough to make you join in on these feelings too. If anything, it is a call to arms, and a beacon that claims Vilify is immediately back on the map.

Following is ‘Light Bringer’ which has perhaps stirred up the biggest anticipation among this EP release. After being adopted for radio play and getting its fair share of features, the single has gained mass appeal, and for good reason. The track opens with an entrancing and sonic glittering of sounds that later finds itself swirling through an expressive feat of whirring guitars, and a chunky riff that remains prevalent for the duration of the track. Just when you thought Amy’s vocals couldn’t get any grittier or deeper, the chorus hits, and they really take flight. I think what captures most is the fact this feeling isn’t merely conjured in the vocals but in every element of the track… even in the supposed silence where faint whispers can be heard, or gradually increasing strums make themselves known. Shifting tempos down to a slow and chugging breakdown, ‘Light Bringer’ has time to foster in the very depths it has created, and then resurge back up into an explosion of volume and feeling. Much like its honorable title, the track is nothing short of a valiant effort from Vilify.

The last single before the final release saw the band drop ‘Split Tongue’, both the halfway point of the EP, and one of the most self-assured tracks from the band to date. Rough and raw, the track is not only another auditory presentation of anger, but directly challenges through its outspoken and unashamed lyricism. True to Vilify’s style, the band ceases to back down from conversations often left untouched, branding them as not merely vocal, but resilient within their own personal feats of adversity, and conjuring safe spaces within both their recorded work and live settings. ‘Split Tongue’ directly challenges the facades of the music industry and aims to refocus the lens – placing emphasis on individuals who create under the guise of passion, love, and community, over those whose sole intentions lie within monetary or reputational gain. Utilizing some slight nu-metal influences that have been ever so prevalent in recent releases, it seems Vilify is dabbling in this resurgence, and adding a delightfully intoxicating spin on it.

‘Save Me’ grabs listeners by the head, and makes sure it’s shaking left to right for the entirety of the track. It simply houses one of those insatiable beats that makes it impossible not to move, with every lurching drum a signal for your body to bounce. The track offers a dynamicness through its blend of volumes and isolation, moving from loud and visceral, to almost yearning and pleading screams that are muffled by sinister clangs and alarming electronica. Swirling between these two elements, ‘Save Me’ becomes a juxtaposition of feeling- presenting vulnerability in all its forms and facets, using the band’s storytelling skills to prove the multifacetedness of feeling, and music as a vessel. This all culminates in the breakdown, which becomes a heart wrenching and sickening elaboration of these feelings, turning the dial to 100 within the pleading and screaming. It certainly makes ‘Save Me’ one of the most interesting tracks from the EP.

Closing Fever Dream is ‘Hang.Draw.Quarter’. Arguably, this track presents Vilify at their most gruesome, gritty, and barbaric. Oozing out of the fast kick drum, screeching guitars, and relentless vocals, there is not a moment to rest within the track. Filled to the brim with a perfectly articulated feat of hostility and belligerence, the track is almost as brutal as its namesake. More so, it ensures that this EP goes out with a bang, and solidifies itself into the mind of the listener with ease (or is sure to leave you with sweat and uneasiness). Testament to McIntosh’s all-encasing vocals, they still manage to sing a symphony within their most grotesque states, which is the feeling I love the most.

Fever Dream is an exceptional step forward from Vilify, and is an offering that shows a tangible growth in their sound and musical identity. What has always remained strong, however, is their unwavering passion to use their musical not only as a creative vessel, but one for meaningful conversations, which has seen them become some of the leaders of open discussion and safe spaces within our scene. Beautifully barbaric, carefully curated vulnerability, and an open expression of the deepest of emotions have made this EP an unforgettable release in 2024.