Buried in Verona – Vultures Above, Lions Below
Australian outfit, Buried in Verona are back and IMHO, better than ever with their fifth and latest release, Vultures Above, Lions Below. To say that Buried in Verona are not strangers to adversity could quite possibly be the understatement of the century, Case in point, a management snafu left the band broke and seemingly dead in the water. So much so that they had to go into their own pockets to pay for misordered merch that was never sold. As if coping with the fact that you are professionally and personally in financial ruins, three members leave the band in the midst of writing new material.
With that frustration and inner turmoil looming, remaining members, Brett Anderson and Richie Newman had a decision to make. That decision was to re-group, re-tool, move forward with new members and use their struggles to let the record write itself. Again, considering the past two years that they’ve endured, the title, Vultures Above, Lions Below is not only fitting but clear-cut and defined.
Maturation is typically defined by artists as a cohesiveness and trust between members. A left hand knows what the right hand is doing situation, if you will. Considering the numerous member shake-ups that Buried in Verona have endured in the recent past, that cohesion quite simply “can’t” be there. Contrary to the standard definition, maturity can also be categorized as wisdom. They’ve used that wisdom and some foresight by embracing the changes in their present day line-up by redirecting their sound to include numerous radio-friendly tracks, which in turn, accentuate the heaviness of tracks like Separation and Pathways.
One of my favorite tracks is, Hurricane. Lyrically, Hurricane focus’ on conquering struggles with perseverance and determination while still moving in a forward direction. There is a also definite change up stylistically with a more anthemic rock feel . Another stand out song is Can’t Be Said. Focus is placed on the bands songwriting skills while choosing a harmony over heavy attitude in order to bowl you over.
Kudos and Congratulations to Buried in Verona for stepping into the ring for another crack at the champ. It would have been much easier to throw the towel in and many have taken that road!
-Cooper
