Artist: Vināyakas
Country: Finland
Label: Wolfkult Religion
Formats: Cassette EP
Year: 2026
A couple of key musicians that become the face of a genre: that certainly can be said for a country like Finland, with iconic musicians like Shatraug, Werwolf and Spellgoth pretty much guaranteed to deliver a quality Black Metal release in. Most of the times these are veterans, there helping shape the sound since the earliest days on the genre in a multitude of bands and projects. But without youth, scenes will eventually perish. Luckily, some new young individuals are taking their roots and creating a legacy of their own. And you could call Vināyakas the product of such youthful fuel on the fire of Finnish Black Metal.
Kratti, Moonstruck, Kerzenlicht, Victimarum and Dark Divination are just a few examples of band revolving around a handful of musicians, and one of the latest additions is Vināyakas. Formed in 2026, the band features Human Animal on drums, and perhaps you may have heard some of his work in Demonic Torment, Krusifoitu or Moonstruck, or perhaps saw him live with Kerzenlicht. Here he partners up with Martyanath and Malphas Flagellator, and although ‘Cleansed by the Ancient Fire’ was still recorded as a trio, recently Amedhyādhāra was added on guitars. Anyway, enough rambling and on to the music.
And that actually is pretty straightforward. Although these musicians move in Black Metal circles, I actually wouldn’t describe Vināyakas as strictly Black Metal at all. Instead, expect a mix of Grindcore, Death Metal and Black Metal molded into a pummeling sound. Though a blistering grinding pace is a core component of the sound, there is some nice infusion of groovy sections that may remind you of a band like Gut. Take for instance ‘Ruinous War Against the Kingdom of Two Suns’ or ‘Serpents of Hiranyakashipu’. Not only is that swing buried more subtly (for as far as a term like that would apply to a band like Vināyakas), but the full-blown grooving breaks are downright nasty. I love it! The guitar sound has a delightful buzzing crunch to it, but the solos and whammy escalations stand out nicely, and the mix in general has just the right amount of thump and filth without losing the individual instruments.
You got it, this is one delicious EP to dig your teeth into if you like to munch on that extreme hybrid of Black Metal, Grindcore and Death Metal. Vināyakas is certainly another scalp to their collection of bands from Finland that are worth hearing. These youngsters for sure are a force to be reckoned with!
