Chelsea Wolfe Releases Metallic New Song “Vex” Featuring Aaron Turner

Photographer: Owen Ela

Late tonight Chelsea Wolfe released a new song from her forthcoming fifth studio album Hiss Spun, titled “Vex.” The song is particularly noteworthy for its feature of Aaron Turner of ISIS fame, who lends his deep growl to the final minutes of this typically brooding Wolfe song. “Vex” begins with ominous distorted guitars, as if a funeral dirge for metalheads. Things lighten up a bit in the verse when the guitars cut out of the mix and the bass-guided instrumentals back the vocalist’s ethereally angelic vocals. A relatively compact song at a few seconds over three minutes, by the second minute the listener is treated to Turner’s powerful and iconic roar, begging the questions: why can’t these two legendary musicians do the world a favor join forces on a full album?

Also featured on the song is Troy Van Leeuwen of Queens of the Stone Age, who provided guitar playing.

According to The Fader, who premiered the track, Wolfe wanted Turner on the song from its early stages:

“I knew from the beginning that I wanted Aaron Turner’s voice somewhere on this album, and could hear him in my head on ‘Vex.’ I had already recorded my vocals for the song but decided to send it to Aaron without them on. Happily, the first time we played it back with both vocal parts they fit together in a very compelling way.”

Hiss Spun is out on 9/22 through the increasingly stacked label Sargent House. Wolfe previously released the single “16 Psyche” from the upcoming LP.

Wolfe will be headed out on tour after the release of Hiss Spun, hitting dates throughout the United States and Canada. However, before she heads out on her proper tour, she will perform at the incredibly stacked Psycho Las Vegas in August.

8/18 – Las Vegas, NV – Psycho Las Vegas
9/28 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
9/30 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater
10/2 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
10/3 – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
10/4 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
10/6 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
10/7 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
10/8 – Dallas, TX – Kessler Theatre
10/10 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
10/11 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5
10/13 – Chapel Hill, NC – Cat’s Cradle
10/14 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
10/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
10/17 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
10/19 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
10/20 – Montreal QC – Le National
10/21 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
10/22 – Detroit, MI – El Club
10/24 – Chicago, IL – Metro
10/25 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club
10/27 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
10/28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
10/30 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
10/31 – Vancouver, BC – Venue Nightclub
11/1 – Portland, OR – The Wonderland Ballroom
11/3 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
11/4 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom

Photo Credit: Owen Ela

Matt Matasci: Music Editor at mxdwn.com - matt@mxdwn.com | I have written and edited for mxdwn since 2015, the same year I began my music journalism career. Previously (and currently) a freelance copywriter, I graduated with a degree in Communications from California Lutheran University in 2008. Born on the Central Coast of California, I am currently a few hundred miles south along the 101 in the Los Angeles area. matt@mxdwn.com
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