Vae Victis
Winter (CD Demo) 2002 No label
The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this demo album by Polish band Vae Victis, is that it sounds very much like Katatonia did on 'Dance Of December Souls', only much faster. In fact it is so familiar in places that I could swear that I wasn't listening to Vae Victis. The album is split into two distinct parts. The first six songs are presumably the original tracks. The following four are re-recordings featuring judicious use of keys, to great effect I might add. The keys really add an extra layer to the music and these versions are much more appealing to me than the originals. If the earlier reference to Katatonia wasn't enough to go by, and it really isn't, Vae Victis play a quite fast paced form of doom, with deep upfront growling, and supported by fairly basic lead guitar, bass and drums, with the occasional break for a melodic interlude within the tracks; this is particularly noticeable on the excellent title track, before the band launch back into a fast paced death metal section and then falling back into the main track. This track is easily my favourite on the album, and the additional version is even better. This demo is a demo, and therefore the production is pretty awful, but in this case, and most others, the rawer and more treble sound actually helps the songs out to an extent, though they really should have cut the vocals back a bit, which whilst good, are a bit too domineering and detract from the music. When all is said and done, I would still recommend supporting these guys by giving this record a spin; I think they have a good future ahead of them. Band contact: greven13@interia.pl	1. Intro 2. Lords Of Asgard 3. Winter 4. Vae Victus 5. The Final Battle 6. Land Of Ice 7. Lords Of Asgard (Additional Version) 8. Winter (Additional Version) 9. The Final Battle (Additional Version) 10. Land Of Ice (Additional Version) Approx. 37 minutes
Reviewed by: Scott Wickens