Black Eyed Vermillion Releases Full Album

Black Eyed Vermillion Gary Lindsey Austin, Texas band Black Eyed Vermillion, comprised of Hank III screamo man Gary Lindsey, and at any time Stevie Tombstone, Killene Tombstone, Bircho Birch on drums, Joe Buck, Andy Gibson, and Fritz from Whiskeydick (and others), have released their first full length album “Hymns for Heretics”.

The first time I heard Black Eyed Vermillion it made me appreciate Gary Lindsey from a whole different perspective. Yes, the elements of punk and heavy metal are there with Gary’s signature rasped, screaming voice, but this album and The Black Eyed Vermillion sound have so much more: deep movements of blues, bluegrass, folk and country, and even swing. If you thought all Gary Lindsey could do was scream and bleed on himself, you will be astonished with the amount of soul and creativity in his music.

This blurb from their MySpace site tells a little about how the band was formed:

“BLACK EYED VERMILLION was originally conceived in the back of a tour bus by Gary Lindsey and Joe Buck of Hank (III’s Damn Band) and Assjack. After moving to Austin Texas, Lindsey crossed paths with fellow expatriated Atlantan Stevie Tombstone and Tombstone’s bassist (and wife) Killene. Adding the Arkansas madman Bircho Birch on drums formerly of “Trusty” completed the lineup. In 2008, Vermillion and Joe Buck Yourself were on tour in Texas where they played a show with local legends, Whiskey Dick. Everybody got along so well that Fritz and Johnson decided to join up and are now backing B.E.V. for some live shows! Black Eyed Vermillion combines all the elements of roots music (Blues, Swing, Bluegrass) with the dark anger of punk and grindcore. The result is a primal and haunting sound both decadent and reverent. This (Hymns for Heretics) is their debut cd released on 1332 Records.”

Gary Lindsey Black Eyed Vermillion Hymns for Heretics The CD can be purchased or downloaded on CD Baby, and you can also preview the whole album there.

Black Eyed Vermillion has released a couple of EP’s in the past, and unfortunately some of my favorite songs are on those and not this release, including “Box O Pine.” But I really like what I’ve heard so far, and this album really epitomizes the diversity of their style. Track #3 “Hard Time Believin'” is an outright swing song, while #12 “One Foot in the Grave” is a bluegrass tune. There are also a few “interludes,” or non-song tracks which I always appreciate in an album. The album finishes up with “Bitter,” a song some of you might recognize from Joe Buck.

Once I get a good listen I might offer up a full on review here, but “Hymns for Heretics” is a nice little late summer surprise release that is definitely worth looking in to.

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