Has Metal lost some of its putridity? It occurred to me a few days ago when I was looking into all of the bands at Bloodstock (a ritual me and my partner do every year, we make a little playlist too) that there are a striking amount of bands relying on emotion. Yuck, I mean, give me disgusting Death Metal or blasphemous Black Metal. I joke of course (well a bit) but honestly so many bands nowadays do the chilled two-minute intro into ‘hard hitting’ Metal drums and riffs. Most of which aren’t especially accomplished musicians nor do they play Doom or Prog, it’s just trendy ass if you ask me.
A band who might be seen as a little hip, but certainly not self-important are Vomit Ritual. This Californian group formed way back in 08, and have taken until 2021 to actually put out a debut record. This record comes through Pulverised Records and is simply titled Callous. It boasts a strong mix of Black, Death and general Extreme Metal, but is it fodder for the posers or filth for the indoctrinated?
Strangling Opposing Throats starts with a great deal of grit. The guitars almost sound Crust in tone, very Punk edged and inclusive of a wider alternative audience. The speed injects some Metal flare and overall this almost instrumental acts as a striking opener. Getting into Asphyxiated we see a bit more of what Vomit Ritual are all about. Vocally there is a range between Death and Black Metal, very big Anaal Nathrakh vibes, I’d be liable to call this trendy Extreme Metal. I don’t mean that negatively but it is that kind of ‘serious’ sound, although it’s still nicely rooted in the old ways and thankfully keeps the Punk energy. I really don’t see the point in Paracusia Nexus though, a needless interlude that does nothing more than amp up the edgy status.
We soon move firmly into the second half with Penetrating The Infectious Wound, another track full of raw Black/ Death aggression and Crust driven nastiness. My only real criticism with this band is that they are what I would call a live show band. The music itself isn’t really memorable enough for me to want to revisit the album, but live I can imagine utter carnage. Despite this though Nervous Temple is a certified banger, the long song style fits the band in an unconventional and therefore interesting manner. Honestly I think Vomit Ritual could run with this format a bit more and perhaps create more of these lengthy Extreme Metal epics, food for thought guys.
I shrug at Callous because it’s all been done before, but I commend them because they have a great sense of passion and it shines through in their music. I’m going to get stereotypical now but basically the best way I could describe Vomit Ritual is Damnation festival. The sort of place where all the trendy Metalheads come out and bands like Nails and Dragged Into Sunlight sit next to the likes of Maybeshewill and Svalbard. Essentially what I’m trying to say in a nice way is that this is Extreme Metal for hipsters. Although I often say a hipster is someone who likes to think they enjoy something cool, so if you actually think it’s cool, you’re not really a hipster are you?
(7/10 George Caley)
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