VESSELES returns with Home, a devastating and majestic sophomore release that delves deep into identity, belonging, and the mythos of a demon cast into the human world. Founded as a personal vessel for Valira, a demon entity discovering her truth through music, VESSELES fuses symphonic black metal with cinematic grandeur and emotional weight. This project is not just about sound; it's about survival, transformation, and reclaiming power in a world that was never built for her.
Home is the sound of returning to a place you've never truly known. It opens with “Flesh Throne,” a regal, thunderous anthem where Valira reclaims her sovereignty over humanity. From there, the album dives into the mythic rituals of The Beneath with “Eternally Within Us,” a ceremonial track complete with Latin mantras and sweeping symphonics that ground the demon realm’s ancient roots in flesh and blood.
;;;
“The Beneath” stands out as a brutal, bombastic ode to her home world: violent, majestic, and unwavering in its hatred of mankind. The longing is palpable, yet there’s pride in the cruelty; it’s not just where Valira is from, it’s what shaped her. Then comes “Home,” the album’s namesake and emotional center. For the first time, Valira takes on lead vocals, questioning whether the place she fought so hard to return to was ever meant to comfort her. This track weaves in foreshadowing, referencing the next four songs, as a lyrical and thematic bridge that transforms the concept of home from destination to obstacle.
“They Wither…” provides a quiet, haunting pause. An instrumental piano piece that counters the despair of previous releases, this song leans into reflection, rooted not in shame, but in power. That strength explodes in “Until They Are Dust,” a sprawling composition that details the grotesque birth of The Beneath: a cursed sludge consuming humanity to give rise to the next generation of demons. The piano motifs from the previous track grow into a full, imperial force here, setting the stage for what follows.
“Scriptures Etched Into the Mind’s Pillars” shifts focus inward. A fierce, classic black metal track about building mental walls for survival, it marks the album’s lyrical turning point, from external reclamation to internal unraveling. This descent continues in “Perpetual Chasm of Black Mirrors,” a harrowing journey through isolation, suffocation, and the horror of being self-aware in a world that rejects you. The dissonant piano passages echo like thoughts in a collapsing mind.
Finally, “This Is Not Home” brings the album full circle. It is both a response to the title track and a fiery rebirth. Realizing she will never belong in the world she left behind, or the one she was cast into, Valira chooses to summon her own empire. Pain gives way to rage, sorrow to power. It’s a triumphant, wrathful finale that cements VESSELES not only as a voice of identity and resistance but as a sovereign presence in the black metal realm.
Home is the natural maturation of VESSELES' sound. More dynamic, more orchestral, more unflinchingly personal, it charts Valira’s journey from confident origin to tortured self-doubt and finally to righteous authority. During recording, a late inclusion of Valira’s own vocals unlocked new potential, revealing the expressive power of her voice in leading the story. While it arrived too late to be fully incorporated across the album, it points clearly to the project's future: bolder, deeper, more human, and more demonic, than ever.
For those drawn to the theatricality of CRADLE OF FILTH, the compositional complexity of SEPTICFLESH, or the grandeur of DIMMU BORGIR, VESSELES is both homage and evolution. It’s not just music. It’s a reckoning, and Home is the sound of a demon returning, not to find peace, but to claim it by force.
All live vocals are now done by Valira with contributions on the album by Joel Ferry.