Viter – Springtime

Releasedate: 28-07-2012; Label: Metalism Records
By: Martine Goffard

“Springtime” is the first album of Viter (winter in Ukrainian), a new band formed in 2010 in Ukraine. The guys are young and motivated to share their fresh and dynamic music. They have worked hard on the promotional side and I can say that the music inside is as good as the shiny package.

Influenced by the post-rock and the industrial scenes they still have managed to create their own unique sound by using traditional Ukrainian folk instruments. You can hear flutes, Jew’s harps, lutes or pipes in folk tunes on every song. Though the Slavic heritage is omnipresent, they can’t hide their resemblance with Rammstein. The similitude is everywhere; from the dark, low voice to the band’s taste for pyrotechnics. One detail that differentiates Viter is that they have shaped one of their music instruments out of the toxic plant, the giant hogweed. They blow in two meters long kind of trumpets. It’s impressive and at the same time it has something magical, like a communion with the spirits of the nature.
Now, they exaggerated a little bit with the rural side by letting a chicken sing (in rhythm) on “Marichka”. Springtime’s songs are melodic, dynamic; the electro parts are sparkling of ingenuity. They don’t forget the powerful guitar riffs, mixing retro, vinyl sounds with modern synthesized vibrations. Crazy, demonic drums beat the tempo for a wild dance on the song “Springtime”, while “Diving Deep” is a touching, superb hymn of love raising crescendo to an explosion of guitars. I regret that there’s no song in Ukrainian. Proud as they are of their origins, they should at least have put one and it’s just what this album needs to pass to the level of the gems.
Let’s hope that no chicken has been hurt during the making of the album.

Line up:
Yulian Mytsyk – Vocals, Folk instruments
Sviatoslav Adept – Guitar, Backing Vocals, Folk instruments
Volodymyr Derecha – Guitar
Bohdan Potopalskyi – Bass, Backing Vocals
Olexandr Ignatov – Keyboards
Serhiy Krasutsky – Drums, Backing Vocals

Tracklist: 01. Wool Fish Love (Mountain Valley, Mountain Hills) 02. The Night Is So Moonlit 03. Marichka 04. For The Fire 05. Springtime 06. Diving Deep 07. Cold And Frozen 08. Viter 09. Day Eats Day 10. Two Colors

Links:
Viter Official