VITTRA – Swedish Melodic Death/Thrash Outfit Unveils “Self-Loathing” Video

Today marks the official release of Blasphemy Blues, the debut full-length from Swedish melodic blackened death/thrash unit VITTRA!

VITTRA’s Blasphemy Blues is packed with the all the band’s trademarks: a combination of crushing death metal with strong songwriting and catchy hooks. Produced at SolnaSound in the Fall of 2021, supported by both Simon Johansson (Soilwork) and Mike Wead (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate), Blasphemy Blues was finalized in April 2022. Lawrence Mackrory (Bloodbath, Lik, Firespawn) handled the mixing and mastering. Hjules created the cover artwork.

Notes VITTRA guitarist Johan Murmester of the tracks contained within, “[They are] strong songs with a natural flow, but still not too predictable or obvious. It’s basically pop but with more energy and aggression to it.”

The Razor’s Edge lauds the, “frenetic tempo throughout [the] album…,” adding, “‘Self-Loathing’ is a muscular track underpinned by pleasing melody, some sharp lead guitar work and variation in the death growls. It’s solid stuff… just as you think you’ve got the measure of VITTRA, they throw in ‘Sommarfördd,’ which has a different groove and female harmonies which changes the feel of the song completely.” Hails Metal Zenith, “The guitar work, especially around the solos, is eloquent and tastefully done while the rhythms chug along, taking the tempo to task and driving the songs forward with precision. The growled vocals, with occasional flashes of clean from a female voice, add to the depth of the feelings this album offers.” Heavy Music Headquarters observes, “The album grows in interest with each passing song, as VITTRA use acoustic guitars on ‘Satmara,’ multiple bass guitar breaks, and silky-smooth guitar solos coming up every few minutes. It’s when the lines between melo death, black, and thrash become less separate where Blasphemy Blues gets to shine.” While No Clean Singing adds of the track “Satmara,” “An exotic acoustic melody dances at the outset, but soon enough ‘Satmara’ picks up that melody and races with it, propelled by darting and skittering fretwork, neck-cracking drums, and scorching blackened howls. The feeling is wild and glorious, and the music blazes in the chorus. At just the right time, the band give your pulse an extra kick with a compulsive chugging and jolting sequence, and quickly follow that with a fleet-fingered but mesmerizing solo (another solo arrives to bring the song to a scintillating close)…”

In celebration of the unveiling of Blasphemy Blues, VITTRA has released a video for the track “Self-Loathing.” The idea for the video is about “getting high on self-pity,” portraying how we sometimes seem to indulge in our self-imposed mental torture and punishment.

Of “Self-Loathing,” vocalist David Döragrip notes: “I wrote this one for myself when I was in a dark place. It helps to put words to your thoughts.”

From a songwriting perspective, guitarist Johan Murmester remembers, “Alex presented an idea of a pretty straightforward verse and a more melodic pre-chorus, all in the feel of At The Gates, The Haunted, and one of his favorite drummers, Adrian Erlandsson. I VITTRA-fied the riffing, sort of making it my own, added some parts, but kept the original feel. Great song to play!”