Album Review: Grafting the Vine - Golden State (2021) - Guest Feature by Nikolay Chuvikov (Moscow Meltdown)
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| Picture Credit: Grafting the Vine |
Grafting
The Vine — Golden Gate (2021)
Genre:
Instrumental Progressive Sludge / Groove Metal
USA
As a person who considers himself an aspiring writer (yes, I already have a written book - now I am facing the issue of publication), I have always believed that if a book has one or more main characters, then it is not only interesting what happens to them within the framework of the narrative, but also what happened to them before the start of the literary work. That is, the reader is always curious about what exactly made a person what he is at the moment - what events of the past influenced him and shaped his character. Background is the bread and butter of any writer, and therefore, speaking about the American musical project Grafting The Vine, I would like to immerse myself in it at least a little.
Grafting
The Vine is an American one-man project, a multi-instrumentalist named Andrew
Smith. It is clear that he interacts with other musicians and visual artists
from time to time, but, in the vast majority of cases, he makes all the music
from start to finish by himself. So we can immediately say that Grafting The
Vine is a reflection of the inner world and life attitudes and experiences of a
musician. The prehistory of his creative manifestations turns out to be even
more interesting, especially since it turns out to be quite dramatic.
Growing up Andrew proceeded in a very toxic and nervous environment - his father not only suffered from a mental disorder, but also abused drugs, which, it is logical to assume, resulted in very difficult and scarring situations. When the future musician was only seven years old, his father committed suicide, which led not only to quite obvious psychological trauma, but also to the fact that Andrew's mother actually bore the burden of caring for the family alone. So as Smith grew up, he realized that he had to deal with helping other people, which definitely deserves all respect. The Grafting The Vine project became his creative outlet - a place where he could find peace and relaxation, as well as that level of subspace where he could realize his creative aspirations in every possible way so eventually they brought him to making his new album "Golden Gate".
From the very first listening, it becomes clear that Andrew has been influenced by a whole spectrum of different musicians - from classics in the spirit of Black Sabbath, to modern progressive sludge a la Mastodon or Gojira. And I would say that the influence of the latter is the most pronounced - from them Grafting The Vine inherited both bold and multifaceted riffing and a very expressive bass sound. However, I would not want to equate this project with sludge - and this has nothing to do with my slightly reprehensible attitude towards this genre. Andrew Smith's music also draws inspiration from classical progressive metal, from which, I believe, it takes its best features: drama, compositional complexity, stylistic imagery, high instrumental technique. The attentive and picky listener will hear influences from Fates Warning and titans like Dream Theater here.
However, it's worth clarifying right away that Grafting The Vine plays purely instrumental music, which for me personally is a definite advantage, especially in the context of the influence of bands like Gojira on the project. I have always considered vocals to be one of the weakest links in modern sludge, so I am genuinely pleased to know that Grafting The Vine has not fallen prey to mediocrity. Moreover, Andrew manages to put so much emotion and fantasy into his music that even without a person at the microphone stand the music has its expressive "voice". Each album of the project is conceptual, and therefore the plot is viewed even without the presence of lyrics: yes, it may differ from perception to perception, but this is also the beauty of instrumental music - it provides a person with the opportunity to use his imagination.
If we talk specifically about the "Golden Gate" album, then it is undoubtedly the pinnacle of Grafting The Vine's creation. With each new LP, Andrew hones his skills and improves his musicianship which is so great to admit. At the same time, all of these unique features are preserved in the music of the project, which have already earned him, though not a reputation on a planetary scale, but a certain respect among lovers of complex and dramatic music. However, at the same time, I just have to note that even if "Golden Gate" can boast of an excellent and all-consuming sound, the local drums, let's say, are knocked out of the general polished tuning. In most cases, they sound as if someone is hitting the iron garbage cans with huge mammoth bones, which, let's say, is not particularly pleasing to the ear. I even have some kind of deja vu - remember the glorious "St. Anger", so unloved by many fans of heavy music (although I will be the first to argue with this opinion). I would venture to suggest that this is due to the fact that Andrew wanted to achieve a more raw sound, but I would also say that it is not very appropriate in the context of this album.
As a
conclusion... ah, whatever – just listen to Grafting The Vine “Golden Gate”,
and you will find for yourself not only a cool new band, but also reveal the
whole world of instrumental music - with its own imagery and plot. The new
album "Golden Gate" is definitely the one of the best representation
of an emerging and creative new instrumental progressive sludge band! Have a
great listen!
Written by
Nikolay Chuvikov
Streaming links: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/graftingthevine/beneath-the-redwood
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/21mBeELQgErZjN9nJ0Xzpm
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/beneath-the-redwood/1532793421?uo=4
Website: https://graftingthevine.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBceg0at_JgbxsE78vBPXOQ
https://graftingthevine.bandcamp.com/
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