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Vulvatorious

Vulvatorious

Written by: PP on 08/05/2024 11:27:22

Vulvatorious is a band with strong sociopolitical beliefs, which is why almost their entire existence has been encompassed in drama. With titles like "Fuck You Incel" and "Cunt War", they display their feminist thematics proudly on their sleeves, which led to them canceling an appearance at 'Den Hårde Tone' awards show due to an association with an alleged offender. They've also landed a spot at this year's Copenhell, which could be a good fit for their take on crusty black metal on their self-titled debut album.

Despite the band's zealous political stance, their record fails in most categories when evaluating a black metal release, especially in a country like Denmark, which has produced a ridiculous amount of fantastic material in the genre in recent years. It's forgettable and anonymous, with nondescript musicianship that takes its cues from Norwegian black metal while throwing in crust, punk, and occasional thrash elements as well.

The band is at its best on tracks like "Resister". Here, double-pedal pummeling and evil riffs create the kind of black metal atmosphere befitting of a festival like Copenhell. "Shrouded Mountain" is another memorable track where the band slows things down and allows the instrumentals to open the atmosphere for a brief ambient moment halfway through.

Elsewhere, we're talking derivative chainsaw shredding like that on "Cunt War". Sure, there's some groove, but given the amateurish production, it merely sounds flat on record.

Additionally, vocalist Ditte Krøyer's vocals are incredibly monotonous throughout the record. Her growls are surprisingly brutal and easily contest her male counterparts, but are completely devoid of charisma at the same time. Throw in extremely trite lyrics like "Fuck your lust [...] 'Cause it's time for cunt war" or "and only shit from your mouth / I'll sit on your face / kill your race [...] / Drown in your semen sea / and get away from me / fuck you incel / fucking die" - these are borderline embarrassing shock value lyrics even for an extreme metal band.

Overall, "Vulvatorious" leaves behind a mediocre impression. There's so much good black metal coming out currently that it's impossible to see this record surviving the great purge of saturation despite its strong sociopolitical foundation. The production is subpar and the songwriting isn't able to contest on even footing against genre peers, resulting in a generic black metal release that'll be forgotten by this time next year.

Download: Shrouded Mountain, Resister
For the fans of: Galge, Darkthrone, Stikkersvin, Throwe
Listen: Facebook

Release date 15.03.2024
Bad Morning Records