Band:	Erdve
Album:	Vaitojimas
Style:	Black metal, Hardcore, Sludge metal
Release date:	February 09, 2018
A review by:	RaduP

01. Vaitojimas
02. Isnara
03. Prievarta
04. Apvertkis
05. Pilnative
06. Atraja

In need of some dissonant sludge to punch a wall in your room and headbutt yourself to? Hop along, you punk; time to release that anger.

It isn't really often you see a band's debut album being released by a label as grand as Season Of Mist, especially if the band never released anything at all before and the members weren't already in a moderately well-known band before. Yet this was the case with Erdve, this Lithuanian band, so expectations are obviously high.

Erdve follow the blackened sludge path, oozing dissonant atonalities and vicious hardcore vocals, a sound that has been getting a lot of traction lately, and while they don't really bring much new to the table, Erdve does a really good job at applying these sounds. Vaitojimas is as intense as can be in its best moments, the wall of sound hits hard, and Vaitojimas's vocals evoke deep feelings of anger and despair, everything properly accentuated by the excellent murky production.

The album's run time works to its advantage, 37 minutes being just enough to get the dose of daydreaming about the world's collapse and short enough that it doesn't drag on. While not especially diverse, Vaitojimas does mix its pace and directions enough so no moment feels boring. However, it always works best in its angriest, mid-paced sections, while the more ambient sections sound a bit off. The potential is there for Erdve to do great things, so it's excusable that some of those sections don't sound as polished just yet, but this is the part where they need most refinement for future releases.

Vaitojimas is great for a debut album; it does need some slight adjustments, but when it works, it works really well. The performances are intense and the production is top-notch, Erdve are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

Start your hardcore dancing cardio workout here.