Vazum - "Eyes Out"

Vazum
photo by Colleen Conroy

You've likely seen Zach Pliska in the background of stages at several local rock shows. With Vazum, he steps out front as the main songwriter/vocalist and guitarist. He released a debut EP in the late winter of this year as a solo-project (with Zach Shipps recording), but now with Void, Vazum becomes a quaret, with Michael O'Connor on bass, Zachary Anderson on guitar, and Jake Woods on drums. Pliska's vocals, and his intense and precise drumming propel this lead single, "Eyes Out."



You can feel the energy on this track--as it was recorded live with his two collaborators. It digs into the angst, yearning and catharsis of post-grunge, Industrial, and an energetic strain of metal, and layers on the fuzz of shoegaze and ambient psychedlia. Maybe, considering its tempo as well as its decorous aesthetic, I'd say it fuses punk and shoegaze. But the album's lyrics touch on infatuation, rejection, and obsession, and distil those emotions into the kinetic energy of the drums and vocals, with frenetic bass and dazzlingly gnarly guitars.

Void, just like the previous EP, will be independently released by Pliska and the band--they're playing a release show on November 17th at Small's Bar.  For more info, follow Vazum on Facebook, and check out previous tunes via Bandcamp.