Veitsi – Kalevanpoika Herää! [Demo]

Artist: Veitsi
Country: Finland
Label: River Valley Cult
Formats: Demo Tape
Year: 2026

As a fan of Veitsi’s take on the Black Metal genre, I never have to wait too long before there’s new material to wrap my ears around. ‘Fenno-Ugrilainen Yliherruus’, the band’s last demo, appeared by late October last year and now we are halfway through January and there is a new one to delve into. As usual, this demo has been given a Finnish title and takes us back to ancient folklore and legends about giants who shaped rivers, mountains and valleys. Perhaps a bridge to the self-run label, River Valley Cult.

It is not uncommon for bands to broaden their horizons and make small adjustments that cause them to deviate from their initial chosen path. There’s on wrong in that, it even often leads to great musical achievements. A small amount of bands stoically stay on their roads, pigheaded marching forward; something I greatly admire. An even smaller number of bands tend to walk the opposite direction, they are a purely regressive force that keeps making their music more hostile and raw.

Veitsi certainly belongs to the latter category. From the start, there was a very palpable punk vibe to the songs, but as time progressed that seems to be pushed more into the background. The last two demos, including this one, do still have that energetic upbeat spirit of early 80s punk, but it is undeniable that Veitsi is going down the Black Metal road with each subsequent release. ‘Kalevanpoika Herää!’ perhaps being Veitsi’s fastest and most belligerent release to date. There’s a great triumphant energy that underpins basically the full 22+ minutes of playing time, that gives the music an equally strong pagan and punk spirit but keeps it very firmly into Black Metal’s vital fundamentals.

Although I said that there’s bands to widen their view and that Veitsi is none of them, there’s still a lot of variation creeping into this project’s music. Yet, and that’s the mainly the crux, it doesn’t violate the band’s core. Take a listen to ‘Riistetty Menneisyys’ for instance, the second song of this demo, there is a strong Heavy Metal vibe going on. Especially in the second half of the song it is undeniable that Veitsi isn’t also visiting other genres to invigorate its core formula. And, I personally love the contrast with the following ‘Arjalainen Sodanpalvonnan Kultti’, which is perhaps the simplest and most basic punk-ridden song on the demo.

What’s also striking is to hear Veitsi, solely helmed by M.K. (also Sokeus and Krucifixion Woods), progressing musically with each release. The music is still very basic and based on fairly simple and primitive riffs and rhythms, but it is the tension and intensity that makes each of this project’s new releases more interesting. Strong musicianship and song crafting is what sets Veitsi apart from most of its peers.