Saint Vitus - Born Too Late (Doom 1987)

Saint Vitus - Born Too Late



Review from www.amazon.com

This album marks the transition between the Reagers era, and the Wino era, at vocals. Without question, the band was different with each--but great, and always still Vitus. This is probably the slowest, and most basic, of their material. Born too Late may be the truest doom of Vitus' era (except for their self-titled first album), which is saying a lot, since it's all unarguably "true." It pounds, it depresses, it bemoans, it laments. It seldom strays from simplicity musically, and yet, for all its simplicity, there is much going on. The wah-wah pedal and fuzzed (almost static-like)guitar bits really comes into their own here (a later Vitus trademark), creating an absrasive (as opposed to dreamy) pschedelic/noise influence. It's basic, primitive, but very memorable. Because of these aspcts, if one listens carefully, he or she can see the slightest of Hendrix influences here, even though overall, this is a poor man's Sabbath, hungover and slowed down.

Lyrically, this piece of art definitely epitomizes the feeling of the outcast, the forgotten, the sullen. Whereas a lot of metal lives off anger, this expresses enough indignation to offer signs of life, but teeters ever so close to the edge of total resignation. Every time I hear it, and then read these guys are from LA, I picture guys living in rat-infested apartments off skid row in the dingiest part of town, lost in the 70s, and finding just enough work to keep from going over the edge. This isn't exactly intended as a compliment, but it is to say, they are authentic, genuine, and they feel what they are singing about. If LA is the home of glam rock, these guys are anti-glam, and not self-consciously so; they simply ARE. They are average in talent, but excel at "creating a vibe"--and their sincerity resonates in every dragged out note, every moaned phrase. Simply put, Vitus is for the downtrodden, but not the weak.

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