WVM – The End Is Only The Beginning – EP
Released: March 3rd, 2013
In entertainment today, especially music, everything is pretty much a remix. Very few things are truly, completely unique. So much music now is comprised of shades of gray for those who like to categorize. You’ve got country music sounding more rock like, rock sounding country, pop playing in the land of electronic. You get the idea. What it all hinges on though is if the music is good. If it’s anything less, who cares? WVM’s “The End Is Only The Beginning” is not an insanely unique sounding EP. What it is, however, is exceptionally good electronic rock. Or possibly it’s a Goth-Industrial-Electronic-Rock mixture if you’re the picky type for categories. On top of it all, throw in two Industrial music heavy weights, Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson) and Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle) taking turns on drums and it seems no wrong can be done on “The End Is Only The Beginning”.
WVM is the brain child of Los Angeles songwriter, performer, programmer, and visual artist David Alvarez. For the curious, WVM stands for absolutely nothing. Alvarez says, “I would rather my music identify and brand me rather than a band name so I wanted a name that meant nothing, what speaks for me is my music.””
Fusing Electronic-Goth style sounds with rocking beats, electronic noises and a solid vocal style, WVM has created some music that at the core feels unique and is quite good for fans of electronic/industrial rock. The track “The Echoing” has a brooding, electro-goth sound starting off melancholy that builds and erupts into some heavy rocking. The vocals and overall style of the track sound eerily like a fusion of Sisters Of Mercy with David Byrne. “For a Better Tomorrow” carries on in a similar fashion, rocking out with heavy drums, synthesizers and brooding vocals. The track “Black Sun” shifts things around a bit, dropping a lot of the melancholy and going for a more straight electronic-rock sound. It keeps things fast paced and solid for pretty much it’s entire duration, mixing killer drums with synthesizer and electronic noise. “Escapism” is probably the heaviest of the tracks, but I won’t ruin everything for you.
You may have noticed I only gave “The End Is Only The Beginning” 4.5/5 stars. I have to ding WVM for the use of auto tune at the start of “Black Sun“. It’s lightly used for only twenty three seconds, but I still hate that shit.
Ignoring the auto-tune, I have listened to “The End Is Only The Beginning” several times now. A few times back to back. I still continue to enjoy it every time and find new things with each listen that I never noticed before. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing the full album when it comes out.
Pre-Order the Full Album, available later this year
WVM Online:
http://www.wvmmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/WVMOfficial
https://twitter.com/wvmofficial
https://soundcloud.com/wvmofficial
So glad to see that David (aka WVM) is still making great music. He is one of the most creative artists out there. His mixes (& remixes) show depth & many layers of moodiness to match the different textures and genres of music he combines. I was a huge fan of SToB years ago. I hope WVM goes on to create more music. It is hard to search for…have been trying to google anything from SToB, WVM, etc. & I only find limited mention on the internet.