Album Review: Vaeda — State of Nature
The debut full-length from this trio is tightly and expertly played, passionately sung, flawlessly produced…and boring as hell.
There’s not a single thing here we haven’t heard a hundred times before. And most of those hundred times have been in the last 36 months. Bandwagon riders all. State of Nature sports a soupçon of screaming, a healthy helping of chunk-chunka Metallica riffing, high harmonies. Thing is, there’s nothing unique in the presentation. One surmises that they’re better live than on disc (assuming one actually likes this sort of thing) but as a listening experience, State of Nature leaves this listener cold. The twelve tracks tumble into one another, leaving no impression once they’ve finished. Well, one impression: at times, vocalist Ian Cole sounds like Billy Squier.
A few of the song titles suggest that maybe — just maybe — Vaeda are trying to sneak some Christian messages into the heads of the teenagers who’d consume their product. The titles “All for You,” “Battle Song,” “Jesus Rides the Subway,” and “Son of the Viper” suggest that Vaeda is gearing up for some sort of Left Behind-styled epic battle between good and evil. Were that true, at least it would provide some comic relief.
Perhaps the great rock critic W. Shakespeare was thinking of Vaeda when he wrote of a tale “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” That about nails it. The best thing to be said about State of Nature is that it’s not a double album. Wake me when it’s over.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.