When I saw Purgatory’s name pop in the reviews list, I must say that I was more than curious to see how these Germans have evolved over the years. My first (and only) experience of them was their debut ‘Damage Done by Worms’; an enjoyable enough but under-produced slab of mid-’90s death metal which conformed to the established norms of the genre pre-Nile. To cut a long story short, I offloaded my copy of this album a number years ago only to see it resurface in a secondhand record shop last Christmas. Obviously the band has been soldiering on throughout the years but the fact that they appeared on my radar again felt somehow preordained. So given the devastating quality of ‘Omega Void Tribvnal’, I must say it’s made me as happy as a schwein in scheisse…
‘Devouring the Giant’ gets us underway with thick chords and deliberate, skull-crushing kick drums reminiscent of Bolt Thrower or Hail Of Bullets before we are thrown headlong into a flow of catastrophic, winding death metal. In terms of brutality it’s top notch; blasts are thrown in where necessary and the endless torrent of Dreier’s guttural enunciations proves perfect. Equally impressive however is how odd glimmers of light are thrown in via guitar nuances and a few subtle cymbal fills. In ‘Prophet of Demonic Wrath’ we also get some brief semi-narrated vocalisation amidst the musical destruction of hammering drums and driving riffs. As with the Satanic Warmaster/Archgoat split I recently reviewed, the production on ‘Omega Void Tribvnal’ is perfect for the style of extreme metal on offer, with each instrument allowed the necessary space to brutalise the listener into oblivion. ‘Chaos Death Perdition’ is a good example of this as it switches from being an oppressive morass of death metal torture to an epically inclined, though no less hefty, attack.
As the disc transpires, one element that has consistently struck me is the apparent influence of more ‘modern’ bands than those cited at the start of the previous paragraph. The considered intro phase, vengeful blasting and cool riffs on ‘Nemesis Enigma’ suggest a certain amount of respect for Behemoth, as too does the blackened death of ‘Via Dolorosa’ later on. Elsewhere, the almost incessant percussion and raging riffs of ‘The Curse of Samhain – Part II’ ring of Hate Eternal. But to be fair to Purgatory, they in no way imitate any of these bands, instead melding such influences with their own vision. They have, after all, been in the business of death metal long enough to know what they are doing. Any doubts and check out the breakneck ‘Codex Anti’. Not only does the vocalisation again expel decay throughout, there is also the odd tormenting, strategically placed tangent. Likewise, the semi-epic closer of ‘The Archaic Evil’ – to which words such as gloomy, dark, inescapable and merciless can be applied – delivers another reminder of what Purgatory is all about.
Once the album spirals out of existence, it’s fair to say that you’ve just come face to face with one hefty slab of death metal punishment. Touching on that notion of ‘influences’ again, what I find most impressive is the way in which Purgatory has updated its take on death metal in the subtlest fashion. Far from alienating, the increased emphasis on musicianship and those occasional hints of black metal give the band’s old school death metal template a fresh edge which I am sure will still draw in fans of Asphyx, Malevolent Creation and the like. Undoubtedly the fact I haven’t heard this band in at least sixteen years contributes to my sense of surprise at how they have evolved but ‘Omega Void Tribvnal’ is simply a great death metal album.
(8.5/10 Jamie)
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