To put it as plainly as possible, if you consider yourself a fan of heavy tunes and Persekutor isn’t already on your radar, your are absolutely fucking up. Their frigid riffage and barebones blackened heavy-metal-rock-and-roll is fit for any brand of metalhead, and their tongue-in-cheek sleaze is a reminder that we’re all here to have a good time. Or, as Persekutor’s frontman and mastermind Vlad The Inhaler might put it, “make party.”
“Vlad But True” is Persekutor’s second tease off their forthcoming EP of the same name, and it falls perfectly in line with their previous output. But, if you’re just getting on the bus with this band, Vlad can help you understand what you can expect to hear with this track.
“First and foremost, what a real fucking band sound like. But also secret history of CIA narco business, the Filthy Fifteen, and most important: That PERSEKUTOR is fucking dynamite.”
The man oozes confidence, but his summation is right on the money. “Vlad But True” opens with stomping, chain-swinging toughness and doesn’t let up for the subsequent four minutes and change. The sneer and swagger of Vlad’s vocals throughout is undeniable, and guitarists Inverted Chris and Blake Meahl’s duel harmonies and solos fall somewhere in-between the precision of Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton and KK Downing, and the frenzied dissonance of Soundgarden’s KimThayil.
Lyrically, “Vlad But True” lays out Persekutor’s manifesto for the treatment of those who stand in the way of free expression. Let’s just say, they should all be sleeping with one eye open.
“This good advice, yes,” says Vlad. ““Vlad But True” is about the haters—enemies of hard rock and heavy metal, of course, but also haters tryings to tell you what you can listen to or read or who you should hangs out with. The censorship pigs is doings their bitch work in the schools and libraries of US and A right now, and we gives them giant middle finger. Not only this, but we has fun doings it.”
As a single entity, “Vlad But True” could establish Persekutor’s unchecked glacial dominance over heavy metal’s future. So dress warmly.
Persekutor can start road testing “Vlad But True” tomorrow, March 13 when they head out on a a spring run in support of Bewitcher and Deathchant. Dates featuring Persekutor below.
3/14 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
3/15 Sacramento, CA Cafe Colonial
3/16 San Diego, CA Brick by Bric
3/17 Los Angeles, CA Lodge Room
3/21 Dallas, TX TX Tea Room
3/22 Austin, TX The Ballroom
3/23 Oklahoma City, OK 89th Street
3/25 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
3/26 Chicago, IL Reggie’s
3/27 Milwaukee, WI X-Ray Arcade
3/28 St. Paul, MN Turf Club
3/29 Fargo, ND Aquarium
3/31 Denver, CO Hi-Dive