Fearless Vampire Killers

The Blood Never Dries EP

Written by: TL on 29/09/2011 00:49:23

Okay, so they might not have sent a novel along with their promo this time but here on their second EP "The Blood Never Dries", London quintet Fearless Vampire Killers are still very much poster boys for questionable career decisions. Frankly, everything about their band seems a bit done before, either a small handful of years ago, or a small handful of decades ago. Their made-up, blood-spattered promotional pictures awaken memories of the magazine covers My Chemical Romance and Aiden used to own when they blew up, and similar references come to mind when you add up the band's elements, which do however stand out a bit for also seeming somewhat oldschool.

What I mean by oldschool is that FVK sound like someone time-machined Misfits, Queen and Adam And The Ants in from the past, dressed them up like Twilight characters and made them play gothy pop-punk, mostly at fast speed and with slightly weird production values and vocals (this is where the Adam And The Ants reference comes to mind). The end product however, is a sound that isn't too far from My Chemical Romance anno "I Brought You My Bullets.." or "Nightmare Anatomy"-era Aiden.

This EP boasts five tracks, four of which are songs and the fifth (which is in fact the first) is merely an interlude that honestly is just about as pointless as its title of "..." would suggest. As I'm writing this, they've all been on repeat a few nights in a row, and still tracks two and three, "A Study In Dystopia" and "Bleed Till Sunrise", have done little and less to make my mind greet them with any sort of joy of recognition when they come on. Fortunately, things are noticeably better on the ending duo "Concede, Repent, Destroy" and "Fetish For The Finite", the former has a halfway catchy chorus while the latter offers at least one rather memorable moment towards the end as the song peaks and the singer cries "don't take my memories!".

As with the band's last EP, I'm still not quite sure what I am to make of Fearless Vampire Killers. On one hand, the band invokes enough questionable references to have anyone praying for redemption at the altar of what is commonly called good taste, but on the other, I'm not quite sure how serious I'm meant to take them. If the answer is 'very serious', then we have slight trouble, because the band has not the quality of sound, nor the strength of songwriting of any of the other bands mentioned in this review. The throwback feeling is curious however, and there are hints of good ideas here and there, yet the question is whether what comes of it next will be surprisingly better or predictably worse? Hmm. Just hmm.

Download: Concede, Repent, Destroy; Fetish For The Finite
For The Fans Of: Aiden, old My Chemical Romance, I Am Ghost
Listen: facebook.com/wearefearlessvampirekillers

Release Date 22.08.2011
Self-released

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