Band: Victim Of Your Dreams
Album: Victim Of Your Dreams
Genre: Metallic Hardcore
Country: USA
Release Date: 28th of August, 2020
Released via: Wretched Records
Cover Artwork: © Wretched Records
When I googled for a song from Xasthur, I accidentally came across another release that could claim my attention. The American Metallic Hardcore band Victim Of Your Dreams, whether intended or not, uses exactly the title name I was originally looking for as their band name. Shortly after I made a quick trip to the given link, I took a closer look at the recently released, self-titled debut of the band from Little Rock, Arkansas.
After a few seconds it is already clear where VOYD is supposed to go, because without further hesitation there is a hard, metallic bashing on the ears. Especially the snare stays in my mind during the five songs, because it inevitably reminds me of Slipknot’s Subliminal Verses record and therefore sounds very tinny and distinctive. But also the rest of the drums rages around in a great way, combining various blastbeat parts, mosh midtempo passages and bitterly angry breaks. Supported by some really grimly deep riffing which in some places comes up with shrill melodies that are more common for 90’s Metalcore. With their bass playing, above all the partly very concise basslines, the Americans also underline their sound and are able to introduce a break more than just once.
Otherwise the songwriting is not that spectacular and ranges somewhere between modern Death Metal and 90’s Metalcore. In the long-term, the sound seems to be a bit dull and could, purely instrumentally, be provided with a little more variety in the future, since the individual tracks don’t differ much from each other. On the other hand, the vocals are much better, because besides the evil growls, which are more Hardcore than Metal, there are also clean parts, which also bring a comparison to older Slipknot stuff. For my personal taste, this influence could take more space in the future than it did on the debut. Nevertheless, these vocals are exactly what I liked best about the release, because the voice not only copies from the “big” ones, it also sounds very own and pleasant. The sound quality itself is massive, shows no weaknesses and convinces me all along the line.
Via the British label WRETCHED RECORDS the s/t EP was released on tape and is available there since August 28th. If you like this kind of Metal-Hardcore hybrids, you should also have a look at the label in general and you will definitely be able to discover one or another release for yourself.
If you’re looking for music that you can smash your hands and walls to, and you’re also into bands like Sanction, Revolve or Vein with a little splash of Outer Heaven, then Victim Of Your Dreams should definitely appeal to you and please you. If the next release(s) can move away from the dull mash and focus on their individual strengths, this is definitely a band to keep an eye on. But nevertheless, for a debut record the performance is very interesting and promising.
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