Vvlva is a German hard rock and psychedelic rock band that recently was in my suggestions in Apple Music. This album, Path of Virtue (2018), is the group’s debut album, which is delivered in a style reminiscent of 1970s krautrock, at least according to the album’s listing on Bandcamp. I’ve really been digging that 1970s hard rock and psychedelic rock style lately, so I’m pretty stoked to check out this album. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Black Sands (Forever Milling Tides)” starts out with some really flavorful, ominous organs that play a menacing classical piano piece, though I don’t know the name of the original piece off of the top of my head. Oh wow, the keyboard notes seem to gradually melt into one another. I’m really reminded a lot of Faust at the moment. Holy smokes, the drums and a big, crunchy bass enter the soundscape and get the tune grooving. Oh wow, the electric guitar comes in with some classic heavy blues rock flavors and licks. Holy smokes, I really dig the light flavors from the vocals that come in. Oh wow, there are some chorus vocals that come in and bring a sort of operatic feeling to this track, which already seems to lace together classical, hard rock, krautrock, and psychedelic rock together. I’m really digging this track so far; this extended instrumental jam is pulling me even further into the listening experience. Oh wow, this track continues to build on itself into even harder and heavier jams. I’m reminded of an intriguing krautrock mixture of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Oh wow, there’s some super groovy guitar licks in this track. Wow, the has an almost loose, orchestral metal sort of arrangement combined with some heavy psychedelic flavors. Wow, super groovy track and I’m excited to hear more.
“Motel Floor” begins with some super heavy and groovy wah-pedal’d guitar with some sweet distortion that melds really nicely with the fat grooves from the bass guitar. Oh wow, I really dig the arrangement in this track. Holy smokes, this guitar work is absolutely awesome, and totally drips with psychedelic flavors. I really dig the light percussive accentuations in what sound like clapping and bongos/congas. Oh wow, the track builds up a ton of tension until the wah-pedal’d guitar comes back in to seemingly release a little bit of tension while hooking me in further into this listening experience. The syncopation in the drums in this track is awesome. I’m really digging both this track and the album so far. It’s like Faust mixed with Black Sabbath and some really groovy psychedelia. Wow, great track.
“Cause & Effect” gets grooving right away with some fuzzed out guitars and a really dynamic sounding beat that’s got me hooked in right away. I really dig the swirling of the organs in the background of the soundscape. I’m also picking up on some modern psychedelic flavors you might hear in something like Kingdom of the Holy Sun in the tremelo guitar and the reverberation and echo in the vocals. Holy smokes, the track keeps on building on itself in such a groovy way. It feels like there’s already been about 40 minutes worth of music packed into these first few songs, and I mean that in the grooviest way possible. Wow, another great track.
“Dieb der Seelen” starts out with a really groovy guitar lick/arpeggio that quickly gets grooving into a fuzzy and speedy hard rock track that reminds me of Killer Boogie, a modern hard rock and acid rock band. The title of this track translates to “Thief of Souls” from German, which really seems to fit nicely with the speed-demon feel cultivated in this track thus far. Oh wow, the keyboard plays some really groovy lines that have hooked me even more into the track. Oh wow, the track becomes increasingly psychedelic as the playing continues, which is further enhanced as the electric organs come swirling in for the final measures of the track. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Cryptic Faith” begins with some really groovy droning tones from the organs and a steady, syncopated rhythm from the drums and bass, while the guitar has a sort of reversed effect that cultivates a really groovy psychedelic raga rock feel. Holy smokes, the beat becomes even bigger and the guitar picks up a wah-pedal effect, and gradually continues to groove on. Oh wow, I really dig the epic wall of fuzz and organs in front of the big beat during the chorus as the vocals seem to nearly cry out into space. Holy smokes, the guitar mellows back out with a nearly spacey effect and seems to bring in some of the raga flavors from the beginning of the track. Holy smokes, this wah pedal is super groovy, and reminds me a bit of the guitar work from Road (Featuring Noel Redding) (1972). Wow, great track.
“Adam’s Owe” begins with some really spacey sound effects that really set a krautrock tone that has somehow gotten me further onto the edge of my seat. Holy smokes, this wall of fuzz and organs is super groovy. The different heavy psychedelic flavors makes me think a lot of the Heavy Psych Sounds record label. I really dig the spacious chords/waves of sound that have a really epic feel to them. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Path of Virtue” starts out with some mellow electric guitar with some minor distortion, some swirling and nearly whimsical organs, and a steady beat that immediately makes me think of psychedelic rock and psychedelic garage rock from the west coast of the US circa 1967 and 1967. Oh wow, the track gets grooving with some heavier flavors that are more reminiscent of psychedelic prog rock and krautrock from the earlier 1970s. Holy smokes, I really dig this nearly primitive drum beat accompanied by spacey sounds from the guitar and psychedelic accentuations from the organ, while the bass guitar keeps the song churning and moving along with a fat and slightly distorted bass tone. Wow, the chorus drops right into place following that jam section. I really dig the clapping in this one, which seems to introduce a lighter, and almost pop-y psychedelic style to this medley of groovy and heavy psychedelic sounds. Oh wow, there’s a guitar line near the end of the track that reminds me a ton of The Doors. Oh wow, the tempo slows down a ton at the end of the track and makes the soundscape seem even more massive. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Second Voice” has a super mellow and sweet feel with the guitar work that almost feels country in nature, especially with the accentuations from what sounds to be a distorted pedal steel guitar. Holy smokes, there’s some regular piano in this track that adds a really groovy layer to the soundscape. I really dig the swing in the drums in this track. Oh wow, this track almost has reminds me of a fuzzed out indie rock song to some extent, only with a heavy layer of psychedelia. There’s a really sweet soulful feel in this track with the sweet harmonizations from the organs, guitars, and vocals that seem to reach into space. I really dig the guitar licks at the end of the track as everything seems to be getting wrapped together. Oh wow, the little piano line at the very end somehow makes the track even sweeter than it already was. Great tune and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, this album is sweet. I’m looking forward to listening to more of Vvlva’s discography. The listening experience was like a unique combination of krautrock, hard rock, and psychedelic rock, which all harken back to basically a time period of around 1967 to 1973 with Faust, Black Sabbath, and even Led Zeppelin and The Doors. There even seemed to be modern psychedelic flavors of different reverberation and echos mixed in, which you might hear on an album from Kingdom of the Holy Sun or possibly even Asteroid No. 4. If you enjoy krautrock and hard rock from the early 1970s and/or are a fan of heavier psychedelic rock, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A