Valkitaarโs metal album, What Lies Beneath (Deluxe Edition) talks to you through the chaos, pain, and determination that define the artistโs raw journey. As someone who doesnโt even consider metal my go-to genre, I was surprised to find a couple of its tracks creeping into my playlistโand staying there.
The opener, โForkillโ instantly throws you into a storm. The riffs bite, the drums hammer like a war drum, and the vocals growl with a hostile and haunting ferality. Thereโs something cinematic about the way the track buildsโat one point, itโs all-out attack, and the next, itโs the voice in your head whispering truths you donโt want to hear. Valkitaar blends the ferocity of Slipknot and the twisted theatricality of Avenged Sevenfold while keeping his own signature sharp and present.
The title track โWhat Lies Beneathโ comes with nuclear energy of visceral lyrics, speed-demon percussion, and unrelenting rage. But itโs not just aggression for aggressionโs sake. The song portrays a psyche unraveling and confronting the world with clenched fists. And yet, between the threats and the screams, you can hear vulnerability.
โRoad to the Kingsโ is a change of paceโsomber, spiritual, almost mythic. The melancholic pulse beneath the heavy instrumentation gives the track emotional weight. When the solo drops near the end, itโs like the sun breaking through storm clouds. The song is both lament and battle cry, and itโs where Valkitaarโs musical storytelling feels most personal.
Valkitaar, witha laptop in a basement, has birthed something brutal and beautiful. Listen to What Lies Beneath (Deluxe Edition) on Spotify.
STAY IN TOUCH:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan