''V'' is the fifth studio album by American

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...

, released in 1990. Its title is a reference to the

Roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

five, not the letter "V" from the English alphabet. The album was the band's first release not on

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

and the last one to feature singer

Scott "Wino" Weinrich Robert Scott Weinrich (born 1961), better known as Wino, is an American singer and guitarist. He has been highly influential in helping develop and codify doom metal's trademark sound, and is also considered an influential figure in the stoner r ...

(until 2012's '' Lillie: F-65''). In 2004,

Southern Lord Records Southern Lord is an American heavy metal record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson. It specialized in experimental metal: particularly doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal. The label later expanded its line-up to include arti ...

re-released the album on CD and vinyl. The reissue CD contains bonus live footage from The Palm Springs Community Center on May 16, 1986. The track "Ice Monkey" has been covered by

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

band Down during their live shows and "Patra" by The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble in 2009. A line in "Ice Monkey" also inspired the name of Down's ''

NOLA Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...

'' opener "Temptation's Wings".

Track listing

All songs written by Dave Chandler, except where noted. # "Living Backwards" – 2:30 # "I Bleed Black" – 5:10 # "When Emotion Dies" (music: Scott Weinrich, lyrics: Chandler) – 2:00 # "Patra (Petra)" – 7:28 # "Ice Monkey" (Weinrich) – 4:02 # "Jack Frost" – 7:12 # "Angry Man" (music: Mark Adams, lyrics: Chandler) – 4:23 # "Mind - Food" – 3:07

Bonus live footage

# "Saint Vitus" # "Prayer for the (M)Asses" # "Clear Windowpane" # "Zombie Hunger" # "White Stallions"

Personnel

;Saint Vitus *

– vocals, guitar on "Ice Monkey" * Dave Chandler – guitar, vocals on "When Emotion Dies" * Mark Adams – bass * Armando Acosta – drums ;Additional musicians *Fiona McMillan – vocals on "When Emotion Dies" ;Production *Stephan Gross – producer, engineer

References

Saint Vitus (band) albums 1990 albums Southern Lord Records albums Hellhound Records albums {{1990s-metal-album-stub