Just like they go by two names – SPRGM and Spurgum – also their sound doesn’t fit in just one label. Having this death’n’roll vibe that made someone recommend them to fans of Entombed, there’s also a loud and wild hardcore-punk irreverence. Plus – and I honestly hope this won’t offend any Finn – Eetu Kauppinen sings in his mother tongue, increasing the harsh resonance, ergo adding up to the aggression that the feisty rhythm had already built.
That raw violence is omnipresent. Even though the lyrical theme seems to be of a darker nature rather than angry – Google doesn’t offer much, but the little it does shows us existential doubt and lack of hope, not exactly rioting messages. But then again, the video for “Valkoinen Lippu” – “flag of truce” – features the band performing in a warehouse and an aerialist flying around them, which makes us believe that “the message” is kind of underrated by these guys. Their focus is on the music so they know that fast and rough isn’t enough; a certain refinement is required; and whether in the form of some fancy intro or exquisite riffing, they make it – SPRGM is much more than shredding away while screaming in anger.
And then there’s “Valomuna”, the savory eight-and- a-half minute finale where Kauppinen sings something like “I’m a path through the dark” and, unlike the other tracks, this time the sad emotion matches the words.
Even though not being groundbreaking genious, their work on this debut album is interesting enough and a good start to put SPRGM on the map.
