Vengeance By Proxy – S/T LP (Profane Existence / Diablos Records MX)

Vengeance By Proxy is a relatively new d-beat / crust punk quartet hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden. However, the group contains some renowned musicians who developed the sound of the beforementioned genres over the years. Vengeance By Proxy consists of Denis (Doom / Gloomy Sunday), Jonte (Aggrenation / Civil Olydnad), Bengtsson (Suicide Syndicate), and Charlie (Anti-Cimex / Bring the Drones). The band strives to deliver such a particular sound by absorbing luxurious rock’n’roll heritage with an aggressive d-beat / crust punk music. These musicians are avoiding any similarities with their previous incarnations and attempting to achieve something more progressive than their initial bands. About a year ago, the group recorded a debut album in Welfare Studios by Pat Stålberg, but the recording saw the light of the day in September of 2020, thanks to Profane Existence and Diablos Records MX.

Judging by their appearance on social media, Vengeance By Proxy draws inspiration from hard rock groups such as Thin Lizzy, KISS, and Motörhead but also grasps the profoundly energetic sound of GBH and Discharge. These experimentations with sound were attempted by a vast portion of groups before, but for some strange reason, Vengeance By Proxy is completely nailing this style. Their music contains enough entertaining guitar shreds, rock’n’roll driven guitar solos, catchy distorted basslines, and dynamic drumming segments that you’ll instantly fall in love with this material. At some points, this recording resembles all the beforementioned groups, but Vengeance By Proxy somehow manages to articulate far beyond their primary influences.

The guitars are bursting with intense riffages, powerful enough to tear down everything in the broader radius. Besides thoughtfully structured shreds, guitars are also offering loads of interesting licks, mainly showcased through various harmonizations and perfectly arranged solos. The bass guitar provides support to these maneuvers through a series of exceptionally performed basslines, entirely soaked into pleasing distortion. Nothing would sound so energetic without exceptional drumming performance, executed through loads of vigorous rhythmical sequences, various accentuations, and compelling drum fills. Lead vocals are channeling the aggression of the entire band through furious chants, so characteristic for both hard rock and d-beat music.

Vengeance By Proxy appears like a colossal slab of sound, continuously shifting and shaping its form beyond proportion. Their sound is so compact, furious, and dynamic throughout the entire record. This recording is available as a compact disc by Diablos Records MX and vinyl by Profane Existence. Make sure to check this one out!