About the band

Vexing Hex are an Occult rock band based in central Illinois, USA it consists of vocalist and guitarist Chris Cadaverus, drummer Radament and bassist Hastur. They formed as haunt originally but had to change their name due to another band with the same name, they released their debut EP in 2018 but after signing to Wiseblood records in 2020 they re-released it and followed it with a single called 'Red Harvest'.

The Band (Left to right): Hastur, Cadaverus and Radament (photo credit unknown)

The review

Haunt is a seven song EP beginning with the opening track "hymn" it's only about a minute long and has no lyrics, it sounds like a medieval choir which is an interesting way to take the EPs opening track, it's followed by the second track "Revenant" the song starts out with Latin chanting which shows up at various points during the song which according to the band themselves its supposed to be a faux latin black magic chant to bless a dead body, this seems to be the track that sets the tone for the rest of the EP, a loud, catchy track about the dead rising from their graves during the night, this song shows the bands love of horror which continues through the rest of the album.

The solo we get from vocalist Cadaverus near the end is probably my favourite part, it gives us a look at the talent he possesses, the background vocals done by drummer Radament are really cool sounding, keeping in time with and excellently echoing him. Overall its a fun sounding, interesting track. This leads us into the third track planet Horror, it sounds like someone let the band have a theremin and honestly it gives a really cool sound to the song, it definitely, it does give the song a very horror or X-files feel, it's not an instrument used in rock very often but when it is it makes the song sound ten times better. The messaging of the song is very clear too with lyrics like “Man was a blight undying upon the planet's face” I also kind of love the whisper singing, its kind of creepy which is super fitting for the bands aesthetic.

Cover artwork by Chris Cadaverus
Logo design by Dan Capp

Next up is Build your wall, definitely my favourite track, Cadaverus and Radament sound like they're doing vocals together for a majority of the song which is pretty cool, their voices harmonize really well together and we get another amazing solo from Cadaverus. The songs lyrics stand out to me for definite, especially the last verse “It's not too late to save your fate, don't ever build your wall” Building walls in your mind to keep people out, as someone whos been open about her mental health struggles it's a sentiment I can relate to, the song feels like a message from the narrator to themselves to stop hiding and let people in, its my favourite on the whole EP, its catchy and the guitar work from Cadaverus, the way the vocals sound its amazing the lyrics “I built this one, the damage is done, don't ever build your wall” does feel like the narrator is talking to the listener, which is also kind of cool. The songs messaging about reaching out and not being alone is beautiful. This leads us directly into living room , the songs lyrics are more description focused and it tells a pretty cool story about some kids who find a magic book and die i think? I’m not 100% on that one, this one I think fits the bands whole vibe the most with them being witch spirits and all, its very descriptive about the poor kids fates “Flesh begins to twist and spume, entrails swirl in a cruel vortex” Don’t play with magic kids..

Thy will be done is up next, an interesting song that kinda sounds like the band are talking to some kind of deity, the lyrics “Some look heavenward for a sign of your grace but i look below, i know my place” make this abundantly clear, this also has my favourite of the Cadaverus solos, it sounds like a letter to a deity which is kind of an interesting concept, also remember, this is what i get from the lyrics, you may have different interpretations and so may the band. The last song is called rise from your grave, the instrumental work on this is amazing, they somehow manage to make the whole EP catchy as fuck, im just gonna assume the song is about the undead again and leave it at that

Conclusion

This is a rewrite so ive already made my thoughts clear on this release, but i’ll reiterate, I love this EP, from the music to the lyrics to the production quality its such a well thought out and put together piece of work, especially for a debut, you can hear the bands Ghost, horror movie and goth rock influences, it was one of my favourite albums upon release and still is almost a year later.