Vitsaus is another underground Black Metal act, but this act has a few differences compared to the many that have been cropping up. First of all, the band actually comes from Kuusankoski, Finland, which is actually not one of the places many think of when you hear the terms "kvlt", raw, and/or underground Black Metal. Another difference with this band, compared to others in this underground scene, is that it's actually a recording from a band and not just a one man side project. The main band is composed of two members, Inho and Vainaja, both of which work in other acts, including Horna for the latter of the two musicians. Of course, the band formed back in 2002, and for some may not be a new entry into the scene, but with their recent signing to Hammer of Hate records to issue their debut full-length effort, Sielunmessu, chances are good the band will attract a few more fans. But, does this release stand out in the underground barrage of Black Metal bands, or is simply just another name in the crowd?
First off, this entire album is performed by humans, including a session bassist, which helps out greatly since many underground projects seem to utilize a drum machine that often sounds horrific or out of place on a more raw production quality recording. Of course, this release also sticks with the very raw, lo-fi recording traits common amongst the underground scenes, and it does set the atmosphere of what the listener is getting into nicely, but the problem is that the music being played doesn't quite capture the overall purpose of the low production quality at all. In fact, the music is actually a little too good for it, and would greatly benefit from having a clearer production to showcase the instruments better due to the speeds being played, and the more folk-like guitar chords (not Folk metal, but more along the lines of a Geographiocal/Regional input in the chords) that set a cold atmosphere, but shine through nicely and would be greatly complimented by the bass, which is practically inaudible in this recording due to the guitars and vocals drowning out all but the drum snares and cymbol. The thudding bass kicks of the release are often completely drowned out and, at your first listen to ""Kuolleen Seurassa", you may think they don't even exist.
Other then that, most of the album is about what you would expect from a Finnish Black Metal act. The music seems to border the traditional second wave of the style, with some influence from the faster material of the third wave without breaking into constant blast beats from start to finish. As stated, the bass is pretty much drowned out, so it's impossible to tell how well of a job the session members does on the recording, but the guitars on here offer up a great atmosphere to the recording with the more melodic-type compositions that are traditionally linked to the region's material. The problem is that these riffs are so good, but sound a little hollow without any real bass backing them up. The recording on the drums are also horrible, with the bass kicks drowned out as well, but the microphone is right in front of one of the snares used, so during "Ylösnousemus", it causes a lot of white noise from the speakers due to how obnoxiously loud it is in the mix. Of course, the vocals are your typical Black Metal style, but more of a back of the throat type rhaspy screaming that sounds commanding, but, like usual, is more in the background of the recording with distortion that causes them to sound loud, which takes away the commanding effect of them being at the forefront and sounding sinister. "Kaste" has a heavy echo on them as well, and they sound terribly off with the music, as well as without much effort, as if the vocalist went in without rehearsing the song and simply screaming random lyrics he wrote for the song.
Overall, the music itself is well done. The effort lasts over thirty minutes, and while the music isn't too original, it's still well composed and can hold the listener's attention. The material here comes off as more for a casual spin then a serious sit down to listen to some music and nothing else simply due to the conflicting atmosphere the recording quality gives, and the overall sound of the music being played. "Rekviemi" offers the most bang on the release, however, as it's a solid song that seems to have slightly different levels, and has a little more emphasis on the double bass kicks in the recording, as well as shows a little more dexterity in the composition to create a song that offers more then just a simple template of fast played second and third wave Black Metal ideas, and gives more variety to the drumming. Of course, the guitars really stand out on this release as well, but not as much as they do on "Kuolleen Seurassa" and "Haudalla", which really take the band's Finnish musical heritages in the Metal scene into consideration when it came to the songs.
If you're looking for some solid Black Metal, Vitsaus first recording in five years, Sielunmessu, offers a good amount of well done Metal, though it's nothing all too spectacular due to varying issues through the production, some repetition in the drumming throughout, as well as atmosphere. But, it's still a solid release as far as the material goes, and shows a lot of promise for this band if they ever decide to take their material outside the underground world and put out a clearer recording without the trademarks of the kvlt Black Metal style, which simply does not suit them well at all. It's worth a listen, but not something worth breaking your back over to get ahold of.
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