Exploitation of Human Disturbance

Picking something from here, mixing it with something from over there much too often ends in the sound of someone forgetting to remove the packaging before turning the mixer to overdrive. It’s a relief then that Veritate are not that clumsy, instead they deliver a melodic doom crossbreed with both style and identity.

Had I been at the mixing table, my scissors would have had some work to do – first for the slaughter would be the first minute of the intro, then some road miles within the other songs – especially in ‘No Spirit Ascending’, would have to go. Disregarding this whining and instead focusing on the music on its own terms I do find quality in abundance. This is heavy, morose and successfully influenced by some of the defining parts of Candlemass’ superb ‘Ancient Dreams’. Veritate don’t go for the same magnitude of density but do utilize the same very efficient tempo drops during which the power of the melody is dammed up, pressurizing.

Coincidentally does the vocalist Johan Knuttinen’s voice bear some resemblance to Björn Flodkvist’s, which at least on paper makes the connection to Edling’s band really strong. That is however self-deception. Veritate don’t rely on bass or low tempos the same way. Instead emphasis is put on a dark, industrialised theme for which the keyboards do a lot. It should also be noted that while Candlemass mostly keep their riffs in the traditional realm, Veritate’s are often equipped with a thrashy edge. The result of this strong mix is beyond what I’d expect of most bands today – too bad that they went downhill already with the next demo.