Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Back in early March, the ‘Champion 100′ EP come tumbling out of the Toronto based band VYPERS.
Comprised of four fantastic tracks built upon a psych-fuzz, heavy style of garage rock, VYPERS – vocalist and guitarist Nic Waterman, guitarist and vocalist Liam Cosby, bassist and vocalist Pat Lefler, and drummer Damien Florio – deliver some damn fine goods here by way of Fishbum Records.
Heady and quite grounded in a lo-fi mode of transport, songs like the chunky uptempo start-up “Mr. Girl” and its follow up, “Made Of Stone“, are absolutely enthralling. The profanity-laden latter cut’s slower grooves roll forth with a solidly hypnotic pace, at times delving deep into bits of psychedelic blues, while the song’s guitars are stellar.
That tendency to entrance the listener is really nearly an ever-present constant in this music, as further evidenced on “Deepsave” and the album-closing high point, “Reaper“. Their simmering emissions are a subtle hook that slowly pierces themselves in your flesh, embedding there with such exquisite emanations it is nigh impossible to resist. Why would you?
Let VYPERS sink their aural fangs into your skull and soul simultaneously with the “Champion 100” EP. You can also find streaming and purchase options for it at Bandcamp HERE.
On an added note, “Champion 100” is a limited edition 10″ release from Fishbum Records and is quite unique; a one-of-a-kind item. Each one is handmade in real-time using a record cutting lathe, where a single master lathe cutter hand cuts every record then etches its individual catalog number into each side of the album. Every vinyl package is hand folded, cut, and glued with care, every center label on every vinyl record is placed by hand. The EP is truly a handmade, DIY type gift.
