My Vitriol - The Secret Sessions

When My Vitriol released ‘Finelines’, some 20 years ago, Music Week declared that this debut effort from the pioneers of ‘nu-gaze’ was “sure to be remembered as a classic in years to come.” The band were breaking out of the UK club circuit and delighting audiences across Europe. Their songs were enjoying extensive airtime worldwide, and they were on their way to bagging themselves a lucrative US record deal. It was the quintessential pre-streaming musical ascendancy; dreamt of and sought after by every up-and-coming new act. There was just one problem. ‘Nu-gaze’ was not a real movement, and My Vitriol were barely a band. What followed was a decade of disruption, delays, false starts and unmet promises, and one of the longest hiatuses between a first and second album that the music world has ever seen. Here’s what happened...

My Vitriol – Finelines/Between The Lines

Firstly let’s have a look at Finelines, the 'proper' album in this double CD collection. The songs Alpha Waves, Always: Your Way and Kohlstream, whilst heavy, give the feeling you can still float away listening to them and are great songs to listen to if you want to forget about everything. Grounded holds a special place in my heart. Instantly recognisable, it makes your pulse skip a beat when the heavy, irresistible riff first comes on. C.O.R. is My Vitriol delving into what their sound is almost threatening to become- de-tuned guitars, screaming...this is 40 seconds of nu-metal, My Vitriol style! In Stark contrast, Infantile is a deeply relaxing track, again almost sending you to sleep with whispers. Ode To The Red Queen is where My Vitriol falters; their crusade to be different makes them end up sounding the same some of the time. This is their greatest (and almost only) fault. By the time you get to Windows And Walls, however, you begin to expect what My Vitriol will throw at you. They begin to all sound the same eventually and, whilst good, only so much can be tolerated before they start getting tiresome. You need to be occupied by something else if you want to be able to listen to them for long enough.

All in all though, Finelines is a very good album, and one that should grace everyone's CD racks despite the fact that, if listened to for too long, they do start to get a little tedious.

BetweenTheLines is a compilation of acoustic and new versions of old songs, new songs and a couple of covers. This shows a refreshing change in the style of My Vitriol, who are finally exploring their sound to great effect. This is shown the most in Windows And Walls, which features a piano being played by the lead guitarist, Som Wardner. Much more relaxing than the original version and in my opinion much better, showing that My Vitriol are finding new ways to express themselves. This makes listening to their old songs much more bearable, because this sound is still as good as it was before, just not as frequently used. There are also new sounds being used, especially in the songs Vapour Trails and Oh Father (a cover of a song by Madonna), which is more raw and coarse than before but still as good. The acoustic sessions, although not strictly acoustic, are great to listen to if you wanted to relax for 5 minutes. Moodswings shows the darker side of My Vitriol, with a much heavier metal riff under the usual melodies sung.

In my opinion the better of the two CD's, BetweenTheLines shows My Vitriol (very successfully) trying out new sounds and ways of making music which brings out their artistic flair more than Finelines manages to do. My Vitriol were a band to watch out for, they could have been contenders for one of the best bands of all time.