VITTRA – Intense Indifference
Release Date: 19th September 2025
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Thrash Metal.
FFO: At the Gates, early In Flames, Megadeth, Sulfator, Gorgatron, Anthrax, Ethmebb, Hands of Goro, Pantera.
Review By: Malte Brigge
There is something infectious about listening to a band clearly having fun with the music they’re making. Last year’s Hands of Goro self-titled debut, for example, remains in my rotation partly because of the joyous energy they bring to every song. While I liked Vittra’s first album Blasphemy Blues (2022) well enough, Intense Indifference has me uncontrollably smiling every time I listen to it. My colleagues think there’s something wrong with me as I sit at my desk grinning ear to ear, doin’ the headbob and lovin’ life. From the quirky title to the weird cover art to the thirty-three minutes of ring-running riffs and screaming solos, Vittra has gifted us with an irrepressible celebration of speedy, thrashy modern death metal with nods to the glory days of 80s heavy metal and its punk ancestry.
Intense Indifference has the catchy hookiness of Judas Priest, the unhinged speed of Megadeth and the solo-heavy thrill found in bands like Sulfator and Gorgatron. A single snare burst gets this drag race of an album screeching to life and flames rise from the tire marks left in its wake. When David Döragrip shouts, “OOUAAHH MOTHERFUCKER LET’S GO!” in opener MOFO, it makes me punch my fist in the air and wish I could do some semblance of his punk-infused death growl to inspire my students with those same magical words. Every time I press play, my heart rate spikes, my watch thinks I’m doing exercise and every muscle wants to jump around. Intense Indifference has shoot-em-up solos, spin-out speed and enough grooving riffs for a fella to have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with. No matter how distracted I am when listening, I’m always engaged, if not mentally then physically, to the point my co-workers turn and ask, “Are you nervous?” because my legs think they’re Alex Smith’s drums and the whole table is rattling.
Johan Murmester and Lars Elofsson’s guitars have a super satisfying scronch to them, performing with the precision of dressage galloping at the speed of a derby. Earwormy twin-axe lead riffs on Burn(h)er and The Leap stick to your brain for days, and are good enough reasons, among a thousand others, to make you want to listen again. Smith’s drums cut crisply through the mix and Gustav Svensson’s bass has a beautiful tone, though it’s unfortunately only really audible when it takes leads on Hate and The Leap and during the swing jazz interlude on Soul Searcher, but it would be unfair to say it’s absent. Low end is only favored on End to It’s rolling intro, reminiscent of Suicidal Tendencies’ “Send Me Your Money” (but thunkier).
There is nothing structurally challenging on Intense Indifference, but the album is filled with delightful surprises exactly on cue to keep your attention. Just when you’re convinced every song will follow the same general template and tone, fourth track Transylvanian Buffet opens with a jumpy ska lick, drops the vocals into an “It’s a Lie”- or “Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills”-like vocal fry, and suddenly Vittra has not only range, but imagination. When the rockabilly piano (provided by Night Flight Orchestra’s John Lönnmyr) slides in and takes over for a full rock n’ roll break (we’re talking Fats Domino here), you’ll most likely jump out of your chair and shout out the window, “I fucking love this!” I did, and my wife was not happy about it. It’s equal parts confusion and giddiness when Soul Searcher effortlessly swings into an acoustic jazz interlude before whiplashing back into a spine-snapping speed metal warp. The guitar solo on Hate is so good you’ll want to sing it, and there’s that one tiny moment at 3:34 on End to It when a clean vocal harmony gives all the angst in the song a pretty little twist. I don’t know how such a brief flash can be so memorable, but it is, and the album has many such layered elements that keep your ears not just guessing but actively dancing.
Vittra are not here to challenge your musical sensibilities or push any limits or teach us what progress is all about. They’re here to have a damn good time, and they do just that. I can’t imagine there will ever be a point in my life I won’t want to listen to Intense Indifference, and it’s so fast I’ll always take two. It’s lighter, quicker and more exciting than Blasphemy Blues and nearly anything else out there. Intense Indifference is a straightforward blast; don’t be surprised when you need neck surgery after listening.
(4 / 5)
