I’ve really struggled to find any information about this band other than they are called Visceral from Portugal and they play Death Metal. Their new album ‘The Tree of Venomous Fruit’ has been released on CD Digipack by Raging Planet.

Maybe a lack of information isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as this album is one of the more interesting offerings I’ve heard recently. As well as sporting an almost mechanical sounding brand of modern Death Metal, Visceral also has a lyrical depth that is astounding in its detail. Bearing in mind that the band are Portuguese but write their lyrics in English, the detail put into describing grisly symptoms that occur when ingesting the venomous fruit, or the pains that they go to in detailing a parasite infestation during ‘Worm Abysm’ are truly startling. Another interesting factor of this album is the crunchy, putrid sounds that linger after each track and leading into the next. It creates a real sense of gory horror but the more I listen to it the more I’m convinced the effect could be created by crunching up egg shells. It’s damn effective though.

I mentioned briefly the mechanical nature of this album, and so I’ll elaborate further here. The drums on this album are a ravenous affair, with an almost industrial sheen to them. Also, the guitar leads and riffs feel regimented and structured to within an inch of their life, and whilst that might sound restrictive to some, ‘The Tree of Venomous Fruit’ thrives under such conditions.

It’s funny, but if you were to look at the cover art for this album you might think it holds within a dark, slightly trippy and atmospheric sounding album. Instead, this album is brutal, punishing and demanding from start to finish. I know that this style of drumming can be a trigger for some fans of Death Metal because it can sound sterile and mechanical, but it really works for this album due to the strict sound they have embraced for all aspects of their work. For me though this album has a unique theme, a sometimes catchy but mostly savage sound, and superb lyrics.

(7/10 Marksson)

https://ragingplanet.bandcamp.com/album/visceral-the-tree-of-venomous-fruit