Search - Virgos Merlot :: Signs of a Vacant Soul

Just a great album

Caleb Leland | 07/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My wife and I heard a few of the songs from this album on a WWF video and knew we had to find this CD. We weren't disappointed. There isn't a bad song on here. Some hot spots are "Gain", "More", and "Kiss my Disease". This is definately one to own."

The Best Album By a Modern Band in Years

Bud | Seminole, Texas, USA | 04/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Had it garnered more recognition upon its release, "Signs of a Vacant Soul" would have probably melted into the grooves of all the other modern rock that was coming out in 1999, and Virgos Merlot would have been seen as just another generic alternative goth-rock band. And knowing how record execs are, they would have been pressured to produce more of the same formula, and Virgos Merlot would have lost their originality. So maybe it's for the best that "Signs of a Vacant Soul" didn't immediately gain the success it had the potential to reach (though 'Gain' was moderately successful on the Mainstream Rock chart). Listeners can now analyze the album by itself, without any other "standards" set by critics to compare it to.
A textbook-perfect recording for 1999, "Signs of a Vacant Soul" is an album rich in melody and accessibility, and boasts a careful detailed production ethic for a band in their debut...or for any band for that matter (the vocal spots are particularly well engineered). What's most remarkable though is despite the fact that the instrumentation is narrowed down to a vocal-guitars-bass-drums formula, there is an amazing amount of flexibility in the music. The material of course benefits from this, opening with 'The Cycle' and demonstrating irresistible but layered textures on songs like 'Winning' and 'Trouble,' which has a chorus of simple catchy lyrics which sound like those of 70s classic rock, while there are more complex elements elsewhere; there is a (perhaps intentional) themed interplay between 'More' and 'Knowing Burns,' neither of which seem complete without the other. The musical body and form of 'Beautiful Lie' hints at a prog-rock influence, but the album's two best tracks are also its most beautiful and inspiring; 'Gain' and 'Kiss My Disease' contradict Virgos Merlot's spooky-looking image as seen in CD's foldout. 'Disregarding' meanwhile spots an amazing, driven guitar sound that closes the album.
The music of the five-man Virgos Merlot can best be described as a battery of heavy rhythms and crunching guitars, out of which emerge beauty, bravery, and a driving force. "Signs of a Vacant Soul" is a top candidate for an album that could become a true "lost" album in ten to twenty years."

A 1999 must-buy CD!

Bud | 12/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brett's voice is strong, clear and very powerful. The music and lyrics of Virgos will move you in a positive and thought-provoking direction. Anyone near the Orlando-area should try to see this band in concert. What a show!! (PS-Brett Hestla, lead vocals and lead guitar, is currently touring as bassist for Creed. Pretty impressive, huh?!?!)"