“Something wicked this way comes from the haunted cornfields of Illinois.” That’s how the band Vexing Hex describes itself. While it reminds me of the great speculative fiction author Ray Bradbury, it doesn’t mean the band’s approach to heavy metal and the horror aesthetic is unoriginal.
Formed in 2014, Vexing Hex’s music gives a unique slant to the doom metal genre. It infuses occult pop with sharp melodies and genre-hopping devilry. As they like to say, they put the “ABBA in Black Sabbath.” Clever!
The band is set to release a new album, Solve Et Coagula, on June 21st. The Third Eye proudly presents the latest single from this new record, “One Thousand Eyes.” Give a listen to the track below:
Vexing Hex’s lore began in the late aughts when a group of outsider youths formed a horror punk band called The Haunts. After a hiatus, the remaining members reconvened in 2014 for one last hurrah. After an unexplained supernatural occurrence (which may or may not be narrated on Netflix one day by William Shatner), they were possessed by forces beyond this realm.
All that’s clear is the relevant witch lords of Vexing Hex are using their mortal vessels to spread melodic witchery throughout the world. So, be forewarned. As Glenn Danzig once sang, “Mother, tell your children not to walk my way.”
“Vexing Hex is a pastiche of the past half-plus century of pop, alternative, and heavy music steeped in occult horror imagery,” shares Cadaverus, Lord of Dread. “We tend to wear our influences on our wizard’s sleeve, with artists such as Ghost, Danzig, Alice In Chains, the Beatles, and DEVO being some that come to mind.”
On the new record Solve Et Coagula, Vexing Hex conjures the specters of numerous genres, such as occult doom, traditional heavy metal, new wave, and progressive rock. The result is an eclectic, multi-headed beast defined by an indefinable charm.
Thematically, the record explores alchemy and transformation, death and rebirth, light and darkness, existential dread, psychological horror and eldritch realms. While the band’s horror campiness feels suited for B-Movies and in line with R.L. Stines’ Goosebumps, let’s not forget the wickedness found within Vexing Hex’s tunes is also very much suited for adult-themed thrills.
“One Thousand Eyes” brings a fun, doom-wave poppiness that’s sugary sweet but possibly laced with arsenic. Don’t get too comfortable dancing to the beats, which recall the joy of Eighties hair metal, because this is perhaps how Vexing Hex is luring us in and casting a spell on us.
Vexing Hex unleashes Solve Et Coagula on June 21st into the mortal realm. The album will be released from Wise Blood Records on vinyl, CD, and digital. Until then, my spooky friends, track down one of the few remaining artifacts of their 2018 debut, Haunt, before venturing into the night.
Pre-order Solve Et Coagula by Vexing Hex on Bandcamp here.
You can support Vexing Hex by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook) or see all of their links here.
Support Wise Blood Records by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook), or see all of their links here.
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