VITJA’s fortunate 2013 inception can be traced to four different bands. But it’s not the past that’s exciting about the Germans. It’s the present and what VITJA will bring in the future. Based in Cologne, the quartet, whose name is Russian shortform for ‘Viktor’, which translates to ‘Victor’ or ‘Winner’ in English, hit the ground running by inking a deal with German indie Redfield Records. The same year they signed on the dotted line, VITJA released their debut album, “Echoes”. Described by the press as “awe-inspiring”, “progressive”, and “techy”, “Echoes” quickly catapulted the Germans to the very top of the Djent movement. The group’s follow-up EP, “Your Kingdom”, was equally heralded by critics and fans as “memorable” and “energetic” in 2015. The successes of “Echoes” and “Your Kingdom” landed VITJA high-profile shows and tours with Callejon, Bring Me The Horizon, Bury Tomorrow, Caliban, Iwrestledabearonce and Nasty.

Recorded over the course of a year at Sureshot Studios by Daniel Keller and Andreas Vieten and mixed/mastered by Aljoscha Sieg at Pitchback Studios, “Digital Love” sounds epically massive. Dontschenko’s riffs are colossal, dissonant, yet instantly memorable. Tracks like “Roses”, “Six Six Sick” (feat. Matthias Tarnath from Nasty on guest vocals), “Find What You Love And Kill It”, and the title track showcase his unique fretboard trickery and riff mastery. His rhythm partner, Metzler also shines against Daniel Pampuch’s pounding drums and percussion sleights of hand, which is especially evident on the incredible “No One As Master No One As Slave”, the thumping “The Golden Shot”, and the revelatory “SCUM,” which features Sushi and Kevin from Eskimo Callboy as guest vocalists. And Beule has outdone himself on “Digital Love”. From raving as a lunatic to death metal-like growls to singing his (non) digital heart out, VITJA’s frontman is a veritable dynamo. And all this is with electronic music expertly soldered into VITJA’s flesh, as if to embolden the installation of the digital into VITJA’s soon-dead analog.