Immortalizing Valient Thorr

March, 24, 2009 , by Scott O.

What’s a good investment these days? One strategy is to the mine the wealth of local vinyl releases. Valient Thorr’s “Immortalizer” has been out since mid-2008, but sometimes record prices are lower at shows than as advertised online, so when Valient Himself and the Thorrs tore up Tir Na Nog’s stage at their tour kickoff show on March 1, I added their double LP “Immortalizer” on clear blue vinyl to my portfolio. The hairy Venusians energized the intimate crowd (a snowy Sunday night in Raleigh) as if they were playing in a packed stadium. Sweat-drenched lead singer Valient preached his rock n roll gospel with manic fervor, as the band shredded through a set which included “Exit Strategy,” “Red Flag,” and “Mask of Sanity” among others. It was also great to see Caltrop (from Carrboro) who opened with their unique, epic approach to the classic double-guitar hard rock. Check out their CD “World Class.”

Valient Thorr’s label, Volcom has invested heavily in the area and put out some great, high quality records including three by Birds of Avalon (the seven inch “(Your) Lucky Day” pressed only 500 copies on purple swirl vinyl, and cost three bucks at the last show). “Immortalizer” doesn’t disappoint, in fact the album art is masterful (images such as the Tiger Owl clutching a scythe jump out at the viewer), but Valient Thorr’s sound carries the record, as handsome packaging can only complement the music. Formulaic yet frenzied metal with a mythic storyline/political message nods to 1980’s era Iron Maiden and the MC5, populating the thirteen song 2XLP (which includes a CD with a “hidden” track in which Valient Himself screams “You know what I’m talkin’ about?!”). Overall, I am very pleased with my latest score in local vinyl, Valient Thorr’s “Immortalizer.” (If you haven’t heard Valient Thorr, check ‘em out on myspace).