VICTIMS – The Horse And Sparrow Theory
August 16, 2019, 5 years ago
(Relapse)
Here's the deal: if your band has done a split with From Ashes Rise, I probably like your band. Victims has done a split with From Ashes Rise, so they don't exactly have to twist my arm too hard here on their Relapse debut. And the fact that this Swedish band deals in apocalyptic d-beat crust/hardcore/metal, bolstered with a huge production, means I'm all over this, Victims taking the atmosphere of Tragedy and the sonics of Disfear, throwing the Relapse logo on it, and just waiting for me to come along and drool all over it. “The Birth Of Tragedy” may as well just be called “If You Like Tragedy You'll Like This” and “There's Blood On The Streets” gets super fast and downright punk on your ass. “We Fail” then slows things down for a super powerful 6:38 sludge trudge, while “The Sea And Poison” is a mere 1:43 of unhinged d-beat crust-punk mayhem. Closer “Revenge Of Our Fathers” is the most melodic track on the album, the band riding the d-beat with a chilling vibe to great success. Man, Victims get everything right here, the album sitting at an 8.0, then an 8.5, damn, buy me a beer and get back to me in an hour and this thing is going to be flirting with 9.0, the spirit here bringing me back to Relapse circa 2000, when Nasum and Benumb were kings in my world. The band plays it smart getting in and out in 28 minutes, The Horse And Sparrow Theory not wearing out its welcome, everything falling into place just right.
