Photo by Glen Mountford
Swedish melodic death/thrash practitioners VITTRA are pleased to unveil a new video for “Sommarfödd.” The track comes by way of the band’s critically lauded debut full-length, Blasphemy Blues, released in Europe late last year.
VITTRA’s Blasphemy Blues boasts a gripping combination of crushing death metal with strong songwriting and catchy hooks. Originally called Vildvittra, based on the characters created by Astrid Lindgren as part of Ronja Rövardotter [Swedish for Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter, a children’s fantasy book first published in 1981], their name later evolved into VITTRA, inspired by the mythical creatures appearing in Swedish folk stories. And while Swedish folk is a recurring theme weaving in and out of their music, the band is firmly rooted in melodic death and thrash metal in the veins of Dissection, early In Flames, Megadeth, and At The Gates.
Comments the band of their frosty new video, “Sommarfödd = The raw forces of a dark cold winter, combined with the strong longing for a verdant spring! The track is groovy melodeath with some intense Swedish melodic black metal vibes.”
Watch VITTRA’s “Sommarfödd” video HERE.
View VITTRA’s previously released videos for “Satmara” HERE, “Halls Of Ancients“ HERE, “Lykantropi” HERE, and “Self-Loathing” HERE.
Produced at SolnaSound in the Fall of 2021, supported by both Simon Johansson (Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), Blasphemy Blues was finalized in April 2022. Lawrence Mackrory (Bloodbath, Lik, Firespawn) handled the mixing and mastering. Hjules created the cover artwork.
The record will see official US release on February 24th. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION. Find European ordering options at THIS LOCATION.
Founded in 2017 by guitarist Johan Murmester and vocalist David Döragrip, the VITTRA lineup was complete in 2018 with drummer Alex Smith and bassist Gustav Svensson. Since 2021, the collective is also joined by Lars Elofsson on lead guitar both on stage and in the studio.
In 2021, VITTRA released their debut EP Wardens, recorded at SolnaSound Production, Sweden, with the support of Simon Johansson (Soilwork, Wolf). Championed Metal Temple of the release brief but potent offering, “this fifteen minute, four-track long debut EP is absolute in its ability to take the listener on a blistering ride of carnage and mayhem. They are heavier than your average melodic death band, tighter and more forward thinking than most thrash bands and have a keener sense of melody and style than a lot of black metal.” The Razor’s Edge concurred, “The band sound incredibly accomplished with their debut release and have four songs written and performed to an extremely high standard.” Added Rock ‘N’ Load in a 9/10 rating ,“To say that this is a debut seems ridiculous when you hear how good this EP is.
“While there is a blackened tinge to it all, though, reminiscent of early Children of Bodom (RIP Alexi Laiho), Kalmah or In Flames, Blasphemy Blues leans on the thrashier side of the genre, switching gears between compact, blast beats-driven sections and more insidious grooves propelled by swirls of catchy riffs coupled with on point, abyssal growls… the album has a slightly anachronistic, familiar sheen to it, but VITTRA’s incorporation of obvious influences is done with taste and wrapped around solid, tight songwriting. The end result? A supremely fun romp underlined with just a bit of sonic nostalgia.” – PopMatters
“‘Self-Loathing’ is a muscular track underpinned by pleasing melody, some sharp lead guitar work and variation in the death growls. It’s solid stuff… just as you think you’ve got the measure of VITTRA, they throw in ‘Sommarfördd,’ which has a different groove and female harmonies which changes the feel of the song completely.” – The Razor’s Edge
“The guitar work, especially around the solos, is eloquent and tastefully done while the rhythms chug along, taking the tempo to task and driving the songs forward with precision. The growled vocals, with occasional flashes of clean from a female voice, add to the depth of the feelings this album offers.” – Metal Zenith
“An exotic acoustic melody dances at the outset, but soon enough ‘Satmara’ picks up that melody and races with it, propelled by darting and skittering fretwork, neck-cracking drums, and scorching blackened howls. The feeling is wild and glorious, and the music blazes in the chorus…” – No Clean Singing
“The album grows in interest with each passing song, as VITTRA use acoustic guitars on ‘Satmara,’ multiple bass guitar breaks, and silky-smooth guitar solos coming up every few minutes. It’s when the lines between melo death, black, and thrash become less separate where Blasphemy Blues gets to shine.” – Heavy Music Headquarters
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