Deity Down/Code 7/Plastic Head
According to the info sheet you can hear right about what you want in VICTIMIZER`s music; death, black or thrash. They released a demo, “Devicderin”, in the nineties, made their debut with “Divided As One” (2003), followed by an EP, “The Spiral Dawn”, and here is the all-important follow-up. They have not been signed for long, still they have opened for bands like DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, ALTAR, ASPHYX and ENTOMBED. Now they want to show themselves for a wider audience, and to secure that they´ve hired Dan Swanö at Unisound to do the mastering. Hit it!
Aaaargh, these grinding drums! Drummer Romeo´s efforts sure don’t get an approval from me. Niels biting growls feel ok, and the guitars will not put me off either. But opener “For What Matters Now” doesn´t build any atmosphere, which is a minus with me. The guitar solo improves matters in spite of being a bit too close to black metal. The beginning of “A Psalm to the Fallen” is promising, even though the drums are trigged to the max and the grinding is overkill. VICTIMIZER has a good sense of melody that they don´t make the most of since they blend in everything brutal. The fluent guitar work is proof of another possible area for development for the band. I think they are at their best in “Feeding the Rats”, when the melody is given space and the drumming more sensible. The best part is the lead guitar, but they need to put less emphasis on shrieks and grinding, that is for less gifted peers. Between the three outstanding songs, “Feeding the Rats”, Preserve from Precipice” and “Reunited for Eternity”, there are far too many hysteric moments this time around. Without ill-fated attempts like “Past the Eulogy”, where they feel out-of-pace amateurish and “Left Unsung”, that follows suit, this is a good sign. Some important changes will no doubt get this lot far!
Track List
For What Matters Now
A Psalm to the Fallen
Bodhi´s Lyric
Feeding the Rats
Left Unsung
Past the Eulogy
Preserve from Precipice
Reunited for Eternity
www.deitydownrecords.com www.myspace.com/victimizernl
