The Von’s debut release Ei8ht
introduced rock music fans to one of the most flexible power trios emerging in
recent memory. This unit hails from a region not particularly renowned for
producing acts in this vein, South Florida, but we are fortunate rock music has
no geographical restrictions. Ei8ht’s songs touched on themes of
self-empowerment and spirituality and, if anything, their focus has only grown
with the release of this latest EP. It has a conceptual air that even the last
release lacked and, even over three songs, it has a fully realized artistic
point of view that makes for a memorable statement. This consolidates and
expands the triumph of the first album in spectacular fashion.
The practically acapella opening of “I
Know It’s Love” creates an enormous sense of anticipation for the song to truly
begin. It’s quite a rush when it does and The Von never need to exert much
effort in sustaining its energy over the song’s short two minutes and change
running time. There’s a lightly breathless quality to bassist Luis Bonilla’s
vocals, but he has a variety of other approaches that gives the song much of
its uniqueness and great instincts for using his phrasing talents in tasteful
fashion. Marek Schneider’s guitar as a beautifully vocal quality and stresses
the song’s melodic virtues while drummer Elisa Seda keeps things percolating
from his first entrance onward. “Nature of the Beast” benefits most from a
crushing groove impossible for anyone to ignore, but The Von throws a few key
shifts into the mix to vary the stew some. Schneider’s guitar sounds simply
couldn’t be any better suited for this sort of music and has tremendous
presence. Bonilla often seems like he’s tailoring his vocals here to
Schneider’s guitar playing, but a closer listen reveals a comprehensive
attention to the marriage between his voice and the surrounding instruments.
Some of the band’s spacey,
pseudo-psychedelic inclinations emerge on the EP’s last song. “My Heart
Machine” is quite theatrical as well and it’s to the band’s credit that they
are talented enough to create such compelling mind-movies with this music. This
is where the band’s progressive leanings emerge even more strongly than before
and Bonilla responds with a fantastic vocal that moves freely between stirring
passages and hazy, dreamy vocals lightly treated with post production effects.
3nity has eye-popping diversity for such a short release and stretches the
boundaries of what constitutes a traditional EP. “My Heart Machine” is,
arguably, the musical peak.
The Von are far more than dabblers or
dilettantes. Their songwriting on 3nity is sparked with genuine inspiration and
an abundance of talent. Two other crucial ingredients are ambition and
tastefulness brought into perfect balance with one another – there’s a sense of
the band striving for a high peak without ever overreaching. Luis Bonilla’s
powerful vocals convey the message and meaning of each song in a highly
personal way while the lyrics never attempt to be too heavy-handed and not
allow listener’s the freedom of their own interpretations. 3nity is one of the
year’s best releases in any form.
9 out of 10 stars
William Elgin III
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