Hailing from Joensuu in North Karelia part of Finland—also home for notable bands like Joukkohauta, Happivaje, and White Tears—Valtatyhjiö’s debut EP is loaded with blistering hardcore that gains momentum in seconds and remain breakneck throughout.
Valtatyhjiö plough through four intense tracks that immediately make you want to play them over again. The actual tape was put out at the tail end of last year and sold out in the blink of an eye, so I hope they got some more coming.
Their sound is tightly coiled and ready for the attack, mixing corrosive vocals in Finnish with an awesome rhythm section, shredding guitars and ripping d-beat that reaches blood-boiling intensity. Valtatyhjiö’s drummer plays in the grindcore band Death Toll 80k, so he really knows how to keep the relentless onslaught going. There seems to be a bit borrowed from Japanese hardcore as well, moving at a frantic speed with razor-sharp Confuse-inspired level of distortion. Valtatyhjiö also manage to pull off some dark melodic elements in the veins of Tragedy and From Ashes Rise without sounding banal or contrived.
I don’t have a favorite track as they all rage in those brief minutes. The only thing that feels a bit blunt and doesn’t stand out is the cover artwork but it’s just a demo anyway, so I’m sure they’ll come up with something more creative next time. While Valtatyhjiö aren’t doing anything brand new or unique musically, their sound stays tight, brutal and sharp front to back. Finland has a thing for ferocious hardcore and they do it well. This demo fucking kills!
