Something New, Something Real: On Of Virtue's Deluxe Edition of 'What Defines You' and Music Video Release "Pictures of You"
As the bars for metalcore seem to lift and change with each new wave of talent that surfaces every year. Every so often, there is a crop of bands that will make you stop and take a second glance. Michigan native band Of Virtue is certainly one of those bands that can join that esteemed roll call. Formed in 2009, Of Virtue started their outfit with the concept of bringing positivity into the air of its listeners. They would take off with their first EP, To Breath Again, a heavy and scintillating work that would not only get them noticed in the scene but also proved that they could craft something unwonted and real.
The band would continue to spread their heartfelt message in their next full-length release, Heartsounds. Their debut album would not only define that their hearts are with the fans but that they had a burning passion for something every new band wants to achieve, to inspire them. Of Virtue would continue with other releases such as their 2012 EP, Learn/Love, and 2015 album powerhouse Salvation, an album that would curate their future sound in the years that would follow.
Since then, the band has introduced a new vocalist Tyler Ennis in 2017 and has started to traverse into other musical territories unexperienced to them before. It is here where we begin the real journey for them. The 2019 release now turned deluxe edition, What Defines You via Sharptone Records.
The album is a cohesive explosive work that demonstrates just how far this band has come from its traditional starting point. From start to finish, the album is painted with assiduous energy and sui generis appeal that only Of Virtue can bring to the table. From the clean finishing touches to the insanely beautiful production values, it is clear that Of Virtue is wanting us to take something more from this version than from the 2019 release.
Breakthrough moments such as "Suffer" deliver a slew of intimidating guitar lines with percussive trepidity that places you in the middle of it all, showing just how impressive this band is at really pulling off the kind of aggressive sound they want to deliver. Other star-capturing junctures such as the famous "Thanks for Nothing," is where Of Virtue wears their vocal and instrumental talents well in crushingly effective perfection. Perhaps the most effective percussive track on the record, "Thanks for Nothing," delivers tigerish amounts of energy that will keep people coming back for more.
"Surrounded" brings us to one of the most atmospheric defining tracks from the original release of What Defines You. Showing off vocal talent to its highest degree and is also the band's attempt at a distinctly instrumental larger-scale, Of Virtue confidently plays around with different soundscapes that sound vastly different from the rest of the other tracks, and it works rather well in this case.
However, this is where this album's world starts to transform, as we embark on a very different type of sonic journey. Unaccustomed to anything we have experienced from the band thus far in recent years, Of Virtue has started to bring in broader and expansive ethereal elements. While feeling punchier and uncompromisingly massive in certain areas, some touch on denuded and sentimental in others.
Tracks such as "Pictures of You" (Reimagined), "Thanks for Nothing"- Outrun Remix, and "Ghost Town"-B-Side shows growth in ways that fans may want to see in another album and is the perfect introduction to the prismatic sounds of a new Of Virtue. Of Virtue continue to make more ambitious moves like this each musical turn, showing another star quality act on the rise to join in on the ranks with other modern metalcore trailblazers. I got to chat with the talented Of Virtue about the deluxe edition, the visceral and real new music video release for "Pictures of You," and what lies beyond this release.
What would you say the deluxe edition of What Defines You represents for you guys as a band?
The deluxe edition of 'What Defines You' is the next step in the natural evolution of the band. We wanted to take the emotion from the songs and dive in deeper to showcase a different side of what we had worked so hard to convey before. Being fans of so many different styles of music, it can be hard to showcase all of them in a more conventional method but this album allowed us to pull from those areas and put these songs in a new light.
I noticed that there is a total 180º change between the deluxe album in the sense that we are getting all these different beautiful ethereal elements. Some heavy, some very denuded, even jazzing it up a bit in some areas, which I thought was very impressive. What caused you guys to go back to this album and reimagine some of these tracks?
All of us in the band are fans of many different musical genres and sometimes it can get tricky when you want to incorporate those influences into rock or metal music. When the pandemic completely eliminated our touring schedule we thought it was a great time to go back to What Defines You and experiment a little bit with different flavors/textures. We didn't want to do a straight acoustic EP or stick to one sound, the songs have lent themselves beautifully to that process.
Would you say this is a prelude to another album or another sound you're trying to present to us?
We have been hard at work this year on a new album so that answer could definitely be yes! The deluxe edition of What Defines You was a necessary step we needed to take so we could evolve into the next stage of what Of Virtue can become. We may revisit some of the elements we discovered through this process and develop songs that we wouldn't have been able to make otherwise. All I can really say is that when it comes time for the new record you will hear a different side of our band.
What do you want people to take from this release?
Each one of us was able to really imprint more of ourselves personally into the remixes themselves and in turn, will allow the fans to connect to a different side of the music as well as us as people. It has always been important for us as a band to push our limits and we are so excited with how everything has turned out for this project. We hope people can see the amount of passion and raw emotion that it took for us to not only put out the initial album but also to revisit some of the deeper subjects that took us to the edge and really drive our message home on the deluxe edition.
Jumping away from the album a bit, I wanted to focus on the current track release and music video if that's okay. What is "Pictures of You" really about?
"Pictures of You" was a reminder for me that losing a loved one is something you can never really be prepared for. I feel like a hidden meaning that I took from the lyrics was also not to take the time you have with your friends. loved ones, family for granted. Make yourself available, check-in, and most of all, create memories and experiences that will live on after we exit this world.
What inspired the process in the making of this video? How did you go about artistically figuring out how to handle this?
The video is more of a grief counseling session in short film form than a traditional music video. It's over seven mins long and filled with real people, real stories, real loss, photos of those who've passed, etc. These aren't actors. It's a bit different than we have done, and we felt this is as vulnerable as we could be - hopefully, this allows others to open up if they need to as well.
Listen to the deluxe edition of What Defines You here and listen and watch their latest music video for "Pictures of You" down below!