Nim Vind Anthology Vinyl Review

Back in 2003 I was the PR guy for @ntidote Records, and we were on fire as the label had signed Blitzkid, The Everdead and Rock City Morgue. Seemingly, we were poised to scoop up a few more of the great bands from the growing Horror scene. Among those was vocalist, Nim Vind, from the Canadian band Mr. Underhill who was going solo. I was out of my mind with excitement for this potential signing. Vind has one of the best voices in the Horror scene, but he wasn’t wearing face paint and doing the Misfits gimmick – his songs and music really stood out. Vind was a man and musician on his own who took very little from others but gave so much back. I’m not sure what happened with the signing, I wasn’t ever present for label signing/talks. I did get about 3 CDS worth of demo material (I still have it, too!). As time went on, I soon realized that we weren’t going to land Vind, instead he signed with the rival Horror label from Germany, Fiendforce Records which I also went on to do PR for in the beginning. I didn’t jump ship for Vind, my time simply ran its course with @ntidote. While I did enjoy working with FF, it wasn’t quite as much fun due to the language barrier and the lack of being able to talk directly about what would be best for a release and so on. It was strictly business without any personal connection. I worked the PR for those first few releases here in the states the best that I could and then I made my way to the exit door without so much as a goodbye.

Vind’s Fashion of Fear was one of the releases that I worked and while I loved everything about the release, it was bittersweet because @ntidote didn’t get to release it and I missed out on the pageantry and the hoopla. If you’re reading this, you know that Nim Vind went onto be a big deal in the Indy scene. Vind would also leave Fiendforce Records after Fashion of Fear and would go onto work with No Balls Records, Silver Dust Records and Beef Records. I’m not sure why, so I won’t speculate, all that matters is that a great deal of those demos that I’d heard did see the light of day. As I mentioned earlier Vind’s music isn’t typical Horrorpunk and in most cases, it’s not Horror at all. Could we say Ghoulish and spooky at times, sure. I feel he was unfairly lumped with the scene and in some cases that hurt him from crossing over into the mainstream, it wasn’t his doing, he just got in where he could and that’s all that matters. Vind’s music comes across more like the Sisters of Mercy, Billy Idol and HIM – it’s got an early 80’s Goth Rock vibe to it. At times it’s moody, but it’s always fun and melodic. Vind has always had a penchant for being a well recorded artist, he doesn’t release half-assed or half-witted music, at all. Every release is ready for the airwaves. He always seems prepared for his next big break – I’ve always found that to be so impressive!

In 2023 Nim Vind released the album, entitled Anthology via Sunny Bastards, another German Label. I’m not familiar with the label, but that doesn’t matter. The important thing is it was released strictly on vinyl. If you’re like me, you don’t have any Nim Vind on vinyl and that’s just blasphemous! Sadly, only 500 copies were pressed in 3 different variants. I was able to land one of these pressings thanks to an import music retailer on eBay. Surprisingly, the album is still available via the label, but the shipping fee is stout. While I would’ve preferred a new album, Anthology is true to its name – it’s Vind’s Greatest Hits spanning his career including a few tracks from his time in Mr. Underhill which he’d already re-recorded for his debut solo album. “In The Night” & “Saturday Night Creepers” make the cut here, these are two of the best Underhill tracks, so it makes sense. We also have some of Vind’s best tracks from his solo career – “Killing Saturday Night” which is one of his best tunes, ever. It’s a smoke show that takes you on a whimsical journey and all you can do is hold on and smile. A few more tracks from Vind’s sophomore release, The Stillness Illness get some attention on this release – “Jackknife” but it’s a slightly different mix, it’s a bit dry and has a little more reverb in the vocal harmonies. “Suicide Pact” also shows up, this one is big on the Billy Idol vibes. It also has a deep cut feel to it, it’s unassuming and will catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention. Vind has also added a few tracks off his third release “Saturday Night Séance”. Most notably, “That Girl” which is another one of those “Holy Shit, I think I just heard the best song ever” moments. Everything about this track just screams of fun, melody and good times. I wouldn’t say it’s a ballad, but it certainly comes across that way, and you don’t really care if “that girl has murder in her eyes”. “ESP” “Renegades of The End Times” and the Todd Rundgren Mix of “Astronomicon” are also on the album and these three are eclectic and moody and tend to move on like a crazed cosmonaut on methamphetamine.

There are few more tracks to be had here, but I’m sure by now you get the picture of what’s to be heard. I can’t speak on the reasoning for the track listing, but these were great choices. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss “Hadron Collider”, “Radio-Active Man” and “The Bitter End” – I find the latter to be one of Vind’s most important and precious tracks, it just grips me deep in my soul and I feel every second of it. Take a moment to look it up if you haven’t heard it, I’m sure you’ll feel the same way. I’m quite surprised there are any of these records left considering how quickly Vind’s vinyl sells – I’ve missed the others, and I tried to get all of them save for the first release, which I thought would be sent to me, but that’s neither here nor there. I strongly urge you to seek this Anthology Record out ASAP as there isn’t a CD release, so I’m sure once this one is gone, it’s gone. I won’t lie I’ve reached out to Vind about some possible releases with us in the future and why wouldn’t I, the man’s a musical genius, he’s a fine gentleman and conducts himself in the most professional of manners and everywhere he goes, good things tend to follow.

~Black Angel