VEXUM: BANA AITSIN

SCORE: 65/100

I went into 'Bana Aitsin' expecting it to be a hidden gem of sorts, but the yellow score feels deserved due to the lackluster edge of this project. The songs are unintelligible when it comes to vocals, and the overall mixing quality of the EP is poor. The instrumentals are the saving grace of the project, keeping it afloat and enjoyable enough - but even the instrumentals sound choppy and wishy-washy.

There is a very choppy, almost glitchy sound to the instrumentals that make this EP a lot less enjoyable than it could've been. There is a huge amount of room for improvement for VeXuM, and there are some moments on 'Bana Aitsin' that make it worthwhile for what it is.

It isn't a bad project by any means, but it has some choppy production and the ideas don't feel fleshed out enough for this to feel all that worthwhile. The heavier guitar moments on the title track make this something I would still recommend to someone looking for a recent gothic rock project - but there is plenty of other gothic music to choose from that is of better quality than this EP winds up being.

With some polishing here and there and more developed ideas/style traits, VeXuM has the potential to make a very good album. It isn't the worst project to come out this year by any means at all - but it just feels lacking. There's something lackluster about almost the entire project, making it something that doesn't meet the expectations for the genre.


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