Album/EP

Erdve - Vaitojimas (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

Feb 8, 2018

7 min read

Erdve - Vaitojimas
Released: 9th February, 2018

Erdve Line up —

Vaidotas Darulis // Vocals & Guitar
Kristijonas Nenartvičius // Guitar & Soundscapes
Karolis Urbanvičius // Bass
Valdas Voveraitis // Drums

Erdve Online —

Facebook
Bandcamp

Extreme metal is an enigma. Plain and simple. The amount of experimentation and passion that lends itself to the range of genres is absolutely mind blowing. It can be light and uplifting, like Deafheaven, or it can be absolutely punishing and brutal, like Anaal Nathrakh. It can be experimental and dissonant like Ulcerate, or it can be traditional and addictive like Mgła. Between these poles, the cartesian plane of possibilities is endless, and Lithuanian quartet Erdve finds itself placed on the sludgier, post influenced side.

However, Vaitojimas is much more than just a heavy, post black album, it’s a hardcore influenced, sludge based, black monstrosity that oozes perfection. From the very first tortured howl, the raw emotion is engrossing to the point of disbelief. The guttural, pained wailing is only punctuated by the dual guitar lines; one screeching and distorted, the other so heavy it’s hypnotising. ‘Vaitojimas’ apparently translates to ‘gibberish moaning’ and I have to say… I can see it. The song evokes feelings of insanity and insecurity at amazing levels. Not since Behemoth’s The Satanist has an album grabbed me so viscerally and immediately.

Each song on the album seems to deal with different concepts of human depravity, giving them form. ‘Išnara’ sends the listener into a trance like state with its repetitive droning bass, drilling hopelessness into the soul, just before ‘Prievarta’ ravages it. A grind inspired riff mashes your body against your will, again and again until you feel lightheaded and disjointed from reality. Throughout Vaitojimas the listener is subjected to every facet of sin and evil, but in such a unique way that it becomes mesmerising. Even up to the last, ‘Atraja’ brings something new to the fore; bone tingling drum work and echoing vocals make the suffering alluded to in the song real and concrete in such a disturbing way.

The problem with trying to review an album like this, is much of the praise I have for it, isn’t due to the technicality or the production, or even the songwriting per se. It can be heavily attributed to the emotion it conveys, and the emotion it, in turn, makes me feel. Erdve have a very clear objective in mind and much like Throane or Cavernlight, they are going to make you feel the absolute distress they have planned. You only have to look at the cover art to gain a hint at what lies within. Vaitojimas feels like being trapped in a lightless, dripping basement that reeks of putrefying flesh, yet you feel so triumphant to have withstood it.

Vaitojimas is visceral and unrelenting in its delivery.. Erdve have blended post metal and sludge into a depressing yet immediate ordeal that begs to be experienced.