From the depths of their deepest crisis, VENUES emerge victoriously, welcoming two new members – clean vocalist Lela and guitarist Valentin. When former vocalist Nyves quit the band mid-tour, following the release of their pivotal debut ‘Aspire’ (2019), the modern metal juggernaut was shaken to the bone. Despite this, the remaining members refused to give up and tirelessly searched for new talent. Following guitarist Constantin witnessing a performance of Lela at (of all places) at a Steel Panther show, the band found their new clean vocalist.

VENUE released their latest album in August 2021 and in the latest Why I Love column we are joined by new clean vocalist with VENUES, Lela. She shares her love for the mysterious Sleep Token.

The band that really got me within the first note was Sleep Token. I remember driving around in my campervan and listening to a random Spotify playlist, when suddenly ‘Nazareth’ by Sleep Token started playing. The first two chords blew me away and that song got stuck on repeat for the rest of the road trip.

All that I learned about the band over time just got me more and more into them. The fact that they are not a band but a collective, and that they are acting anonymously makes the whole thing absolutely interesting. I like that the focus is on the music instead of the people behind it.

For me it is hard to pick one favourite song, because all of them are so unique and awesome in their own way. There’s not one single song I don’t like to be honest; but I think ‘Blood Sport’ really stands out. I even had to record a cover version of that one. I love the dynamic and the mix of hard and rather aggressive sounds and the rather soft vocals. This matches perfectly in my opinion.

Unfortunately, I haven’t have the chance to see a show yet. Hopefully this will happen after the pandemic. Can’t wait to experience their music live!

I am beyond excited about the current singles they’re releasing. I am really looking forward to listening to the whole new album!

You can order VENUES latest album through their webpage here; there is a beautiful ‘solace marbled’ blue vinyl variant available.

VENUES: Website / Facebook / Twitter

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