ALBUM REVIEW: The Horse & Sparrow Theory – Victims

Sweden’s VICTIMS have been cruising through their near 20 year career purveying some of the more interesting musical cuts from the d-beat and hardcore genres. Fusing their sound with the metallic pedigree of their homeland, VICTIMS have refined their musical approach to a crusty T over their career. This is no different with their latest album, The Horse & Sparrow Theory, the bands seventh outing and first for Relapse Records. 

Given the standard of bands that Relapse boasts, it is important for VICTIMS to make a good first impression. And that they do, with the title track immediately laying the atmospheric foundations before the crust ridden, bass heavy full musical attack comes through the gates. The drums are cavernous, and the bass rings so heavy in the mix that it firmly brings everything together into a murky final mix. The bellowing vocals from Johan Erikson are an absolute stand out, as they fire over the stellar lyrical work with tangible ferocity. 

The Horse & Sparrow Theory is, in the band’s own terms, an attempt for the group to smash conceptions of class division, climate denial, and everything else caught up in the current socio-political climate. Whilst this message isn’t as consistent as it could’ve been, when VICTIMS are able to write moody and confrontational tracks like The Birth Of Tragedy, it is hit home with fervour. The bleak screaming of “The sea is dead!“ is one of the most impressionable moments of the whole album. 

With the clear influence from the doom genre resulting in VICTIMS creating suffocating atmospheres, this is best displayed on We Fail. With an ominous sample from Brigadier General Stephen Cheney discussing how climate change has been closely monitored by the US army, the album reaches its unequivocal peak, both in terms of message and impact. The song slowly builds, adding more layers as the sample continues, clearly proving that the social unrest VICTIMS want to shatter is exacerbated by clear misinformation. When the conclusion begins, and Erikson comes back into the fray, the song reaches a fever pitch that is genuinely exceptional. 

With this amazing song being followed with an immediate injection of more sluggishly heavy d-beat, it begins to hammer home how good The Horse & Sparrow Theory is. Despite it’s sometimes missing of the mark with regards to message, and a few dips in the overall energy of the album just due to the combo of sounds the band plays with, VICTIMS have added another well earned feather in their cap. The sad thing is that it is the tail end of the album that begins to taint the water, as the final moments feel awfully contrived with the slow descent into finality. With the rest of the album feeling targeted at the throats of those in power, and delivered with the same intensity, the ending feels like a bit of an afterthought. 

With all of this aside, The Horse & Sparrow Theory is still a raging 28 minutes of music from a band who clearly know what they are doing. VICTIMS have written some of the most politically powerful, crust covered, d-beat filled hardcore of the year. 

Rating: 8/10

The Horse and Sparrow Theory is out now via Relapse Records.

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