Victims "...In Blood" CD
[Havoc]
Whew. 19 fucking tracks of ripping hardcore/punk from this Swedish outfit in a mere 27 minutes! I've never been blown away by Victims in the past, though I've also never been disappointed in the least, but while their sound definitely still bears resemblance to some of their fellow countrymen like Skitsystem and Wolfbrigade (especially vocally, as far as the arrangements of the harsh shouts are concerned), this full-length absolutely puts them in their own realm and starts to solidify a sound that's more identifiable. While there are definitely plenty of crust influences and little bits and pieces of the more rocked out side of the hardcore/punk spectrum (check out the damn near catchy "This is the End"), a lot of the writing focuses more on heavy hardcore/punk that adds in some powerful melodic intensity and metallic heaviness without actually hitting on any true metal or relying on an overly heavy recording. I wouldn't necessarily mind if the production was a little heavier, but that might not make sense since the songs don't require such. Everything is nice and warm with a cohesive mix that's not perfectly clear but also isn't problematic in that regard, so I don't have any active complaints in that department. This is an excellent set of songs, that's the bottom line. Few tracks pass the two-minute mark, several bring in some classic hardcore influences that flirt with an early-80's sort of sound or even subtle old school breaks (granted the aggression level here is of course double that of said approach), and not one is a snoozer. "My Eyes" is a great blend of chunkiness and moderate speed for a really memorable piece, "No Regrets" is the only song that hits three minutes (which amounts to "long" for these guys) and takes a darker drive with its dissonant chords and persistently crushing rhythms, "Checking Out" lets the rhythm section do most of the talking beneath the vocals with plenty of guitar feedback, etc. And never fear, there are plenty of faster and more straightforward songs too (The scorching "Victims in Blood Pt. 3", anyone?), so nothing gets left behind. The layout looks great and uses lots of consistent high contrast imagery of power lines and industrial landscapes with a clean presentation of the lyrics. Only a couple of tracks are in Swedish, and the lyrics are awesome because they make their point with bleak and direct representations of anger and frustration, but the messages are open enough to be perceived in a number of different ways. "Doesn't matter what we say or do, We are stuck in this shit forever and together, What difference does anything make? Doesn't matter what we say or do..." I'm really into this, I've gotta say. Not only is it really nice to hear a band take the formula and rework it just enough to put their own stamp on it, but their handling of the lyrics makes a massive, massive difference for me. The lyrics alone really hit me 10 times harder than most any other band of this nature, and that amounts to a lot in my book. Definitely grab this. Highly recommended. (8/10)
Running time - 26:50, Tracks: 18
[Notable tracks: This is the End, My Eyes, No Regrets, Checking Out, Victims in Blood Pt. 3]
Havoc Records - http://www.havocrex.com

This review has been displayed 4034 times.