VICHR - Vol. 1 (EP, 2026)
By Flork
There is something particularly appropriate about reviewing VICHR‘s Vol. 1 on the 58th anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, when tanks rolled into the country to crush the Prague Spring and Soviet troops subsequently remained as occupiers for more than two decades. VICHR, who are based in Olomouc in the Czech Republic, seem to understand that landscapes remember. Vol. 1 is a five-song demo about a war-scarred planet, the wounds violence leaves behind, and the equally difficult battles that take place inside the human mind. And so it’s fitting as well that the title VICHR (which means gale or tempest) would suggest something elemental and uncontrollable.
Their debut Vol. 1 is like entering the city limits of Gotham at a speed of just 30 km/h (but with sparks flying behind the batmobile from the pressure of the brakes). The EP introduces Vlasta on vocals, whose presence in the studio can only be imagined on stage. She exudes heart and soul in a genre seeped in emotion and pain. Vol.1 is a thick and beautifully murky strain of stoner doom and psychedelic rock.
Released a few months back in May of this year, the five tracks - Vichr (Gale/Tempest), Tančím s ďáblem (I Dance with the Devil), Naděje umírá poslední (Hope Dies Last), Roním slzy (I Shed Tears), and Bojím se (I Am Afraid) - play like different manifestations of the same storm. There is plenty of weight on the EP, but it is patient and crawls with a special kind of heaviness, allowing the riffs to breathe and settle into the listener. The influence of blues and tones of southern rock is particularly welcome, adding a raw and earthy quality beneath the doom. At times, I was reminded of Acid Bath, especially in the way the heaviness and atmosphere coexist. There are also elements of Windhand in the slower, hypnotic passages.
Of the five tracks, Naděje umírá poslední (Hope Dies Last) is the one that particularly grabbed me. There is something wonderfully contradictory about that title in the context of this record, since the music can sound defeated at times, yet the very idea of hope refusing to die provides a small but significant crack of light. With that being said, choosing a favourite almost feels unfair because all five tracks are genuinely excellent. The musicianship is top notch throughout, with the band showing a real understanding of dynamics and atmosphere. The slower tempos give the riffs far more room to develop, while Vlasta‘s vocals bring an entirely different emotional dimension to the band. Recorded with Blum on SF MINi and mixed and mastered by Šaman, the sound serves the material well, preserving the grit without sacrificing the details that make the songs interesting. The album cover is also beautiful and befitting of the emotions dealt with in each track.
And the Florkster‘s prognosis? VICHR have made a remarkably convincing transformation. Vol. 1 may officially be described as a demo, but there is nothing tentative about it. This is a band that sounds as though it has discovered where it wants to go, and the possibilities are enormous. The combination of doom-laden riffs and stoner grooves, with psychedelic haze, blues, and a southern-rock swagger gives VICHR a foundation they can build upon for years to come. Most importantly, there is emotional substance beneath the heaviness. These songs are about scars, fear, despair, and survival, and the music makes all those themes tangible. If this five-track demo is an indication of what to expect in the future, their potential is thus insanely large. I, for one, will be very interested to hear where the storm takes them next.
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