Some of you guys might’ve caught Shane’s set at one (or both) of the last two SHoD festivals. If not, you can find live footage of him opening for Jesu on YouTube. Here’s a review I wrote last year. Sorry it took so long to post here…

With all the hype surrounding two-piece bands over the past few years, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to legitimize the concept of a one-man band. That someone is the Valley’s own Shane Ocell, the lone member of Via Vengeance, and from the sound of his debut album, Dieography, he has succeeded. Ocell simultaneously handles vocal, guitar and drum duties in Via Vengeance, which might amount to nothing more than a slightly interesting novelty act if he didn’t also have a knack for writing killer doom metal riffs and soul-baring lyrics. “Only Strong Survive” is an ode to Ocell’s father, whose obituary is included in early pressings of the CD. Other songs, such as “Vile Lie,” “Bad Treat” and the album’s high point, “Burned,” are emotional outbursts of anger and pain. Musically, the album is reminiscent of early Godflesh, with Ocell’s guttural growl and crushing riffs laid over bare-bones drumming. Veteran producer Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Isis, Mastodon) does an excellent job of capturing the raw brutality of Ocell’s live performances. On some songs, the drum mics even pick up Ocell’s guitar strumming, which not only adds to the album’s authenticity, but also provides another layer of depth to the overall soundscape. Dieography is one of the more impressive Valley debuts in recent memory and might very well catapult Via Vengeance into a much larger spotlight.

review from stonerrock.com
Via Vengeance – Dieography
Reviewed by Mike R. Meyer (courtesy of College Times)
Release date: October 12, 2007