Victimarum

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Band(s): Victimarum
Label(s): Self-Released
Release Format(s): Demo, Digital
Release Year: 2023
Review Date: July 13, 2023
Author(s): VincentP

One look at the corpsepaint pictures in snowclad landscapes might narrow down the options, but all it really takes is just pressing play on the digital ‘Demo 2023’ to realize that Victimarum is a band from Finland. As soon as the melodic shifting riffs of ‘Uuden ajan tuhoon’ kick off the band’s first demo, it is clear that the Finnish seeds sown by Horna and Sargeist have taken a deep root in the writing style of the band. While this first song reminds me strongly of Horna on their ‘Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne’ album, inspiration taken from their ‘Sudentaival’ and ‘Sanojesi Äärelle’ albums mixed with Sargeist’s ‘Satanic Black Devotion’ are similarly obvious. Musically coming together in a rocking, subcutaneously melodic and fairly melancholic blend may seem typical for so many Finnish bands, but credit where it’s due: Victimarum does so expertly.

As is so typical for Finnish Black Metal, intense blasting sections are alternated with more midpaced grooves, but the melodic and downright catchy undertone remains a constant regardless of the pace. The band has opted for a little bit more bass guitar in the mix, which makes the instrument stand out a bit while adding a touch of chunkiness on top of the cold atmosphere. Therefore, the sounds can’t exactly be called raw, but I would go so far as to call it modern sounding either.
Now where does Victimarum stand compared to so many other bands that use the same inspiration? The somewhat more bareboned, less overtly melodic earlier sound of Horna and Sargeist sets them somewhat apart from other newer bands that aim more for a direct copy of the sound of Satanic Warmaster, Horna, Sargeist and the likes. But ultimately, striking the right melancholic note combined with how memorable the riffs are is where the difference in quality between the leaders and the middle of the Finnish Black Metal pack lies. Victimarum does a solid job, ticking the boxes in terms of catchiness, power and atmosphere. No wheels are reinvented here and it’s undeniably and unapologetically Finnish in sound, but for a first demo that by no means stands in the way of being an enjoyable demo.

VM-UNDERGROUND

Extreme Metal Fanzine est. 2012

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Victimarum – Demo 2023

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