In the metalverse, there are many unique personas, and now we can include Valira Pietrangelo among them. She has spoken openly in interviews about suffering from identity dysphoria. As a result, she immersed herself in music and eventually discovered herself as a demon. What better way to express your newly acquired demonhood than through black metal?
Everything about Vesseles (pronounced veh-sel-is) revolves around Pietrangelo’s identity. The band’s name is a Latinized version of the word vessel, as in her body being a container holding an identity that doesn’t quite fit. In 2024, Vesseles released their debut EP, with the not-so-subtle title I Am a Demon, about her internal struggles and her revelation as a demon. Now with Home, Vesseles takes a more ambitious approach as Pietrangelo expands her repertoire into songwriting.
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It shouldn’t come as a surprise with a demon at the helm, but Home sounds incredibly dark. With a cinematic touch, Vesseles shares some similarities with the darker symphonic metal of Dimmu Borgir and SepticFlesh, yet they play with a dissonance and malice that compares them more to Hasard. As with Hasard, the guitars play second fiddle to the haunting strings and off-key piano notes. Joel Ferry’s demonic scrapes, harsh and high, exude hatred and venom, while the constant tempo shifts serve to keep listeners off balance. Home is a concept album about a demon shifting from a world she didn’t belong to and into another that didn’t want her. Pietrangelo entangles us in her character’s emotional state, making us feel her rage and malice through the demanding music. She may have succeeded a little too much in her approach – while I appreciate her vision, it can be hard to enjoy at times.
Home contains some striking musical passages, yet the overall tone grows tiring over time. As a result, the front half is much more effective than the back half. The opening track “Flesh Throne” creates a menacing atmosphere with its string arrangements, but the piano is what steals the show. The dissonant piano and frozen riffs on “The Beneath” create an appropriately malicious atmosphere that will surely send shivers down your spine. “Home” opens with a classic, off-key piano section that moves with its ill intent. “Home” is also the point where the record’s approach begins to hesitate and tire – the noise and constant tonal shifts take their toll over six minutes. This peaks on the last two tracks, the weakest on Home. “Perpetual Chasm of Black Mirrors” in particular lacks the moments of brilliance of the rest of Home, and the finale, “This Is Not Home,” runs too long. The constant shifts —in tempo, intensity and noise levels— become increasingly difficult to tolerate over long stretches.
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Ultimately, what holds Home back is the production. Vesseles faces the same problem as Hasard‘s debut – their record is too loud. My poor ears couldn’t handle anything, and headphones made the problem worse. There’s a moment on “Scriptures Etched Into the Mind’s Pillars” where the guitars and growls lower in favor of a nice string and drum section, and I found myself sighing with relief as my ears got a brief respite from the sonic assault. The crushing compression also hurts the busiest instrumental passages. I struggled in those moments to appreciate the individual performances or to discern what was happening. On one hand, this contributes to the chaotic, unsettling tone Vesseles seems to aim for, but ultimately it mars some impressive songwriting.
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Home is at once a remarkable and unbearable debut. Pietrangelo successfully delivers her unsettling vision, creating an ominous tone through complex compositions. However, the bogeyman of bad mastering hinders her vision. Nonetheless, the first half of Home is strong enough and took me lovingly back to the era when I reviewed Hasard‘s Abgnose. One can only hope she’ll learn the same lessons Hasard did, as the production of Abgnose was a huge improvement over the debut. I have faith that this demon can impress us with her unique vision once again, and I look forward to hearing it.
Rating : 2.5/5.0
DR : 5 | Format reviewed : 256 kbps mp3
Label : Self-Release
Websites : vesseles.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/vesseles
Worldwide release : January 16, 2026
You’ll find the source at the link below
https://www.angrymetalguy.com/vesseles-home-review/
