EPK – Vesseles – I Am A Demon (2024)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Band: Vesseles
EP title: I Am A Demon
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid
“Iâm trying to provide a unique experience by coupling the debut EP with a chronological music video to show the beginning of the project. Each song has a music video and they all tie into each other.” – Valira Pietrangelo – Vesseles
For fans of Dimmu Borgir, Dark Funeral, Darkthrone, and Watain
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Band: Vesseles
EP title: I Am A Demon
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid
Track Listing
1. Suffocating Flesh – 4:25
2. I Am A Demon – 3:54
3. Cathartic Cruelty – 3:58
4. Wretched – 2:56
5. Vesseles Rituale – 4:17
6. Dysphoria – 5:27
Total: 24:57
EP Credits:
All songs performed by: Vesseles
Chanting Vocals on âVesseles Ritualeâ by The Vicken Studios Orchestra
All songs written by: Valira Pietrangelo
Produced by: Nick Loiacono and Valira Pietrangelo
Mixed and mastered by: Nick Loiacono
Album Photography by: Watkins Media Metal
ASCAP member.
EP band lineup:
Valira Pietrangelo – Guitar, Piano, Lyrics, Composition
Adam Rupp – Vocals
Nick Loiacono – Drum Programming
Live band lineup:
Valira Pietrangelo – Guitar
Joel Ferry – Vocals
Joseph Serrano – Drums
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âI Am A Demonâ goes through the transformation of my identity. It flows from self hatred, to release, ritual and thus transformation, closing on the disconnect between soul and body.
Musically there are elements of decay illustrated by a gradual increase in dissonance and unexpected change alongside more typical black metal tropes.
It starts with self hatred on Suffocating Flesh, goes to confidence in I Am A Demon, leads into needing a release with Cathartic Cruelty,
Track by Track (lyrically and musically):
SUFFOCATING FLESH is about reaching a point of self hatred and longing for a form of self that cannot be fully achieved to the point of wanting to self harm. The distant guitar sections with the decaying in dissonance piano break convey the lyrical concept alongside classic black metal riffs and catchy lead lines.
I AM A DEMON, as the title track, is about claiming my identity and feeling trapped in this world due to the limitations presented on being anything other than human. The music conveys a sad longing by going back and forth between clean and distorted with eerie piano poking through.
CATHARTIC CRUELTY focuses on the anger towards others for how things are in the world by murdering someone with catharsis. This song also introduces unsettling piano, heavier riffing and a generally more distressing atmosphere.
WRETCHED stands out as a solo piano piece. The title refers to feeling wretched with my given body and wretched as myself in the world. The composition comes from a place of sorrow and resentment with both moments of beauty and discomfort.
VESSELES RITUALE is about the ritual that is transforming me into my true demon form. It contains some chanting lines that are meant to simulate this ritual. The music also reflects the ritual direction with more open sections filled with tom work and a generally slower overall direction, closing on a larger chant including the âhellâs choir of creaturesâ mentioned earlier in the songâs lyrics.
DYSPHORIA is the most visually metaphorical piece diving in the identity dysphoria I must live with and how that feels. The song goes between clean and distorted with dissonance and aggression but ultimately ends with a duality of suffering and nefarious intentions, alluding to the next release.
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FUN FACTS – STORY ANGLES
This release will have 6 music videos, one per song that ties in the story visually. I tend to try for something I havenât done before and something that you donât see often. Taking on 6 music videos was indeed an exhausting route but Iâm also very glad I went for it. I think itâs a great start to the project.
Vesseles is fairly new so there isnât much to say that hasnât already been said. Vesseles is built off of my identity as a demon and trying to cope with that through art and self-expression. Iâm sure the fun facts and stories will fill up by the next release!
Vesseles (veh-sel-is) is the exciting first solo project from 10 year West Coast Metal veteran Valira (Legion of Grandeur, Among the Torrent, Arcane Existence) who wraps an exploration of identity dysphoria in layers of symphonic black metal. A demon living among humans and struggling with the vessel she was born in, she turned to music before understanding its significance. Many years later, she found her true self and the importance of expressing that as loud and proud as possible. Its result, Vesseles (a spin on the word vessel) a study of self identity and pushing the boundaries of the human dominant world.
