Australian band Vinegar Tom took the dive metal scene by storm through the 1990s and early 2000s, and have reappeared kicking and screaming just as suddenly as they departed 20 years ago. The band offers up an intense but encapsulating metal sound that they describe as “organic, eerie and brutal.”
Hailing from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Vinegar Tom is formed by frontman Blair Gowans, brothers Julian (lead guitar) and Damian Boult (drums) and bassist Damien Hartin. And after being unheard of for two decades, the quartet have come firing back with their once-lost album Volume 1.
As Julian explains: “In some ways it’s the typical story of how a band comes together, right down to the oft-seen existence of siblings and childhood friends coming together in bands. In the mid-90s Blair and myself, having already been on ‘the scene’ for more than a decade, started writing music together. We needed a hot-shot drummer, and I knew we had one literally ‘under the roof’ with my younger brother Damian, for which VT was his first serious project. The other Damien – whose mother happens to be an acclaimed opera singer – completed the lineup. Which I’m proud to say is and has been the only VT lineup.”
The band members remained active in various musical projects, including Julian establishing himself in the New Orleans funk and blues scene and recording and touring the USA for the last 10 years. But, as Julian puts it, “the VT heart never really stopped,” and the quartet is “ripping the VT creativity and musical exploration door off its hinges.” And Julian told us: ” It was actually the recent discovery of recording session artefacts, thought once lost, only to be found in pristine condition again – that has been the catalyst for the reformation of VT!”
And on what to expect from the Vinegar Tom sound, Julian explained: “In a word – confronting. However, there is much more lurking beneath the surface, and the focus has always been on deep, mesmerising grooves and a lyrically powerful message. Like any sound – it is no different to a blues dirge or bleeding heart country ballad. If it can’t move the listener to laugh, cry or dance – don’t do it. People do like to talk about genres, and the obvious link for Vinegar Tom is Heavy Metal, or is Vinegar Tom simply its own genre – sculpting the air in its very own time and space…”
To get a taste for this, the band sent us Cell Mate, the second track from their Volume 1 album. It kicks off with an affronting high-pitched guitar noise that drops into a huge driving riff that continues alongside lively drums and engaging vocals. The pace slows with palm-muted guitars before bursting back into the original riff and delicious vocals. A cool little high-pitched sound comes back in with drawn-out guitars and threatening cries of “liar” before easing into drawn-out guitars and wild cried vocals. The pace drops again with a bumbling bassline, then flies into more heavy guitars and wailing vocals setting up a heavy conclusion.
On the track, Julian told us: “The reception has usually been ‘Wow,’ which is appreciated and pleasing. Listeners shouldn’t expect an easy-listening or generic ride. Cellmate is a revival of classic, unbridled, confronting and sonically challenging music, brutally laden with stiff riffs and eerie, pained vocalisations. In short – there is no style into which VT comfortably fits. Remarkably, the VT sound encapsulates all subgenres of metal and none at the same time? The lyrics are as captivating as the voice of our alternative frontman and singer Blair – with his aggrieved crooning and message, just as socially relevant as it was 25 years ago – and seemingly ahead of its time.”
The album is packed with more metal goodness, including the incredibly intense Prick, which you can check out in stream below. There’s also the dark personal favourite Swine, which comes to a particularly creepy conclusion, and The Masons Lodge, the pretty wild Augenblick and big final track Vinegar Tom, which intersects more heavy riffs with some creepy laughing.
The Vinegar Tom has been influenced by a wide range of musical styles, including everything from baroque and classical passages to horrorcore southern rap and haunting melodies inspired by New Orleans trumpet phrases. Indeed, the band’s members draw influence from Louis Armstrong and the start of British metal, calling out bands like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple through to Slayer, Tool and Pantera.
“Each Vinegar Tom member comes from their own significant musical lineage,” julian explained. “We were literally born into a lifelong pursuit of artistic creativity, from which writing, recording and performing music is the result. It’s a flame that burns inside each of us, and that never goes out.
“Vinegar Tom themes and topics address anti-establishmentarianism, political angst, abuse of power, sexism and racism, whilst also delving into factually historical accounts of people, society and events. Occasionally the music is simply a result of us just being ‘pissed off!’
This year, Vinegar Tom will be focusing on finalising a new album that’s currently in production. They also promise “a selection of somewhat exclusive and unmissable live events” as they look to bring the band’s vicious sound to the live show.
You can follow Vinegar Tom on Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Soundcloud and YouTube.
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