Veitsi, one of the bands from the River Valley Cult collective, is going through a development quite contrary to what is commonly seen within metal’s confinements. If bands do not stay within the same musical frameworks, it is usually the case that they find comfort in experimentalism or just a increasingly smoothing out of the music as a whole. That is not much the case with Veitsi. While their Raw Black Metal already consisted out of elements taken from both Folk and Punk music. This demo, from late 2024, shows the band has taken another step towards the latter two, increasingly leaving behind the traditional standards of the Black Metal genre.
‘Sotaa & Tuhkaa’ is a full-on stomping Punk/Oi!-fueled Black Metal demo that, although still sounding raw and ultimately unpolished, sounds remarkably well. Within the margins of Raw Black Metal that is, because this, just to make sure, has nothing to do with Nuclear Blast-like Black Metal. Although Veitsi indeed took another step in the further perfecting of their musical formula, it is still very much recognizable as being the product of M.K. (see also Sokeus). The blueprint rawness and folkish way of song writing is all over the place here as well, but it is definitely the way prominent presence of that prime energy of Oi!-Punk that lands ‘Sotaa & Tuhkaa’ an identity of its own.
‘Sotaa & Tukhaa’ translates to ‘War & Ashes’, making clear that the nihilism of the music is also echoing through the rest of this demo’s presentation. And, frankly, the both primal aggressive and grand triumphant atmosphere of the music fits the title and overall theme seamlessly. It might be a long stretch going from the earlier, way more classic sounding Black Metal demos, like the great ‘Palingenesis’ (2022) to ‘Sotaa & Tuhkaa’, but if you have traveled along with the band, it feels like a natural progression – even if it is a rare thing to encounter.
