Once upon a time there was a band whose name might have been Ex-Cathedra, or perhaps even Tenebra but, as of 1992 onwards at least, it became officially known as Victims of Creation.
The band played its debut gig two years later and the rest, as they say, is history, albeit one with a 13-year gap in it that basically saw the band going into hibernation more than once. Founded in the early 1990s by schoolmates Rex and Dino Mifsud Lepre – “we’ve known each other since kindergarten” – along with Jeffrey Galea and Marvin Zammit, the band’s early days were spent experimenting in doom and death metal, both still staple ingredients of the band’s signature sound more than two decades on.
“The name Victims of Creation was actually lifted from the last line of the lyrics of one of our earliest songs,” drummer Mifsud Lepre tells me when I ask about the rather gloomy-sounding, but simultaneously epic, band name. Widely known on the local music scene simply as Id-Dino (definite article optional), he is a man of small build, but a behemoth once he gets behind a drumkit.
He is here today with Rex, the band’s bassist and vocalist, to talk about Victims of Creation’s increased stride since they resurrected the band in 2009. Galea and Zammit have been long gone, although they still play regularly alongside Dino and Rex in Xtruppaw, and in their stead, a spate of other musicians have come and gone too.
“Apart from incoming and outgoing musicians, we were tied up in other music projects, as well as studies and work, which didn’t help,” Rex says of the band’s extended hiatus. “Although we were out of the public eye, Dino and I still jammed regularly,” he adds.
He says their intention was always to keep the band going, but in the interim, apart from playing together in Lithomancy, they formed other bands, namely one called Tree alongside guitarist AJ Burd and a bit further down the line, Griffin Device with guitarist Daniel Bartolo. The two guitarists eventually were to be the missing pieces that started the ball rolling towards reviving Victims of Creation once again.
“The fact that we’d played with both guitarists already made it easier to settle in when we got together as Victims of Creation,” Dino explains. “Our work with Burd in Tree was essentially a precursor to what we are doing now, and Daniel’s versatility helped to bring a new perspective to what we were doing.”
Once word that Victims of Creation were getting back together was out, the local metal scene responded with great enthusiasm. Understandably, this was highly motivating to the band, as was the encouragement they received from the organisers of the Malta Doom Festival, who that same year were ambitiously staging the first edition of what has now become one of the top small metal festivals in Europe.
We were at the right place at the right time
Their comeback performance took place during the 2009 edition of that festival, and so positive was the feedback they got that they played at the next two editions. The last of these, in 2011, also brought with it an important opportunity, as a result of which the band was signed by renowned German metal label Cyclone Empire.
“We were at the right place at the right time,” Rex laughs, clearly referring to the various setbacks the band has faced in its efforts to move forward. That might be true, but it was most definitely their performance and presence on stage that truly clinched the deal.
Symmetry of Our Plagued Existence is the fruit of the band’s record deal. It is their debut album, but not their debut recording. “Back in 1996, we had recorded Lotions & Potions (Toke 1) for a Storm Records compilation,” Dino reminisces, adding that the track was quite avant-garde and not quite representative of their other songs.
The trait to veer off the trodden path is nothing new to Victims of Creation; they experimented with their sound during the in-between years. Even in the few years since kicking back into action, they remain open-minded when it comes to making music. Playing in other bands surely gives them a broader perspective of the music spectrum but as Rex confirms, “our individual musical influences do sometimes come into play when we’re writing songs, but we usually let the music take its course”.
Impressively, the album, which has received countless great reviews in the metal media, was launched last April during this year’s legendary Doom Shall Rise festival – the final edition, alas – at which Victims of Creation were invited to perform.
“That was an amazing experience on many levels,” Dino says. “It was two dreams come true; to finally launch our album and play abroad.”
The truth is, it was three dreams come true, as Dino, Rex and Bartolo also performed as Griffin Device at the same festival. Since this milestone event in the band’s history, Bartolo has left the band to pursue his own project. In his place, they’ve brought in Emanuel Portelli, formerly of progressive metal act Sepia, and like the rest of the band, quite versatile in his musical tastes.
“Apart from being a great guitarist – which was important as Daniel’s shoes take some filling – Manuel also clicked with us on a personal level, which has always been an important factor in the band,” Dino confides.
In the short time the latest formation has been in place, the focus has been on Portelli learning the band’s repertoire. It’s no mean feat, as there may only be five songs on the album (it still clocks in at over an hour) but each of them features various different movements.
“That has been our priority, but we’ve also found time to jam around new ideas,” Rex reveals, adding that they’re already looking ahead to the next album. “That will probably drop around the end of next year, so there’s still a lot of work to do”. Among the works in progress, he talks of an atmospheric track and an up-tempo, aggressive number. Heavier stuff, then? “Why not,” he replies with a grin, “the heavier the better”.
Meanwhile, they’ve been rehearsing ahead of the band’s return to the Malta Doom Metal Festival this Friday, which will be their first local gig since the album launch, and also their first with Portelli on board.
By way of a parting question I ask if there are any other plans. “We’d certainly love to play abroad again,” Dino admits, his smile a giveaway that his German experience has clearly left an indelible mark on him. “Other than that, we’ll be writing more songs and probably doing a few gigs too; we won’t be lying low.”
Victims of Creation will be performing at the Malta Doom Metal Festival on Friday. For more information about the band, look up the Victims of Creation page on Facebook. For details of the festival, see overleaf.