Review by Richard Henry for MPM
I was going to start this off with Belgian band, but really these guys are now from 4 different countries so more international now, anyhow, we are on album number 12 if you can believe it, what slab of brutality have we with this one, let’s find out!
Deadbringer
Sort of different vibe with a synth pulsing to open this one before the band kick in, and straight away I am getting a Lorna Shore vibe from the start of this one, Kens drumming is insane on this, the guy is legit one of the fastest guys out there, that riff that kicks in is just insane, lovely changes all over the place in tempo and then there is a crushing riff that jumps from slow to blasts then there is a real pit riff comes in, about two mins in there is a really nice almost Swedish Death style riff comes in, really tight syncopated riff in the middle there, the kicks flying with that riffs chugging part, then boom, into a lovely solo, nice trem bar work and some lovely sweeps in there, it’s a really nice melodic break up to the song, again a bit more deathcore than straight up death metal!
Condemned to Rot
Well, that’s just a slap in the face right from the off, Francesco from Fleshgod joining in on the vocals to this one, there is some crazy drum fills in this one and an absolute beast of a riff kicks in at the one-minute mark, the dynamic shift when you break into that middle section serves so well to split the song up and lead into a real James Murphy style sort of solo, really nice, then back to the brutality again, I have heard a few people saying about all the guest vocals on this album, this one works really well!
Brotherhood of Sleep
That a dirty grinding riff to start this one, slower I feel as well, it’s a proper headbanger of a start to this, then it bangs right into gear, but an almost hardcore sounding part before it technically kicks in with an insane riff then it slows down again to another belter of a riff, there is loads in the production and it seems like a lot of layers are in there so a lot to take in, really precise as well, Dave Otero working his magic again, you want Deathcore, that two min mark riff is 100% that, Johnny from Carcosa is on this track splitting up the vocals, then a real old school sounding blast comes in and then keeps changing and evolving over that chugging middle riff, it sort of grinds out to the end of the track!
Death Cult
Oh yes, that is a riff and a half right there at the start and then bang the drums kick in with that insane double kick work, nice slidy riff there, I like that second section switching from the blasts then into a blacker metal blast and back before you get a syncopated rhythm section in next, lovely little gravity blast worked its way in there, before it slows way down in that middle part, again really death core sounding there, that riff at two and a bit mins in is a really cool shift and adding melody into the middle part, again it serves to split the song up a bit and add another element into it!
Hellbound
Matt from Cryptopsy up on this track and straight into the blast beats from the off, absolute slab of a riff there and a nice counterpoint melody line just in behind it as well, again there is a lot of stuff to take in, I totally recommend listening with headphones to catch it all, I love these two guys singing together, it really works, you can tell Matt a mile off as well so it’s easy to spot who is singing what, just listen to all the twists in the drumming, it’s so all over the place but absolutely insane, that chorus part listen to that clean guitar behind the riff, beautiful solo, lovely technique and note choice and a really cool harmony part in there as well, then a drum fill into blasts again, intense doesn’t even begin to describe this one, top track so far for me!
Insect Politics
At just over 1min and 40 seconds this is the sonic equivalent of getting hit round the head with a bat, its breakneck and nuts from the off, Jason from Ingested spitting out the lyrics on this one, although that is a dirty riff at the 36 second mark, and another slamming riff lands again about 50seconds that’s hammered home with some serious double bass work, intense, short and brutal!
The Golgothan
Hal from Blasphemous is on this track, sort of half-time blast to open this, much slower and ominous feeling this one, that riff with the pinch harmonics and the drum pattern on it is class, and the verse riff with the blasts, there is a real atmosphere to this like an almost gothic sounding majesty to it, before it slaps hard with the next section that’s just pure insanity on the instrumentation, but the way it changes and opens up at the 1:37 mark its gets really huge sounding, again I have to say, that solo is just perfect, where you could just shred over those tempos, there is so much melodic parts in there, the song ebbs and flows so well through all the different feels and tempos, just some really outstanding arrangements!
The Shape of Hate
Olly from Archspire is on this one, and before it starts I will bet there is some shotgun vocal’s on here, straight in with the speed on this, although there is a really nice section comes in with a blinding picked guitar riff, then Olly comes in and it’s so trademark with his vocal you can tell him a mile off, but again there comes in a part with the same riff as before but the drums change and you get a melody picked riff behind it, it’s things like that and the sweep picked part behind the second verse, so easy to miss but add loads to the overall track, that slower riff in the middle just gets really heavy after all the speed before it, that slow middle section again reminds me of more deathcore in feel, yeah I’m going to say it again, the solos, they are so good, they add a lovely melodic feel to the song and split it up so nicely!
Naturom Demonto
David from Signs of the Swarm is up on this one, some nice fills to open this before we get more into a mid-tempo sort of riff, that will have a pt moving, then bang the blasts come in over a really nice slow riff, and it’s the combination of that and the drumming make that section so heavy, before a thrashy riff comes in over the same riff, really grinding riff next with a deliberate slow double bass part, lovely combined vocals on this one as well, before it hits back to that original feel, then it goes nuts for the middle section before it sort of stops for an atmospheric section before the whole band kicks back in again and that section plays the song into a fade out.
Malevolent Haze
Last track and we have Ricky from Ov Sulfur on this one, that almost reminds me of Behemoth, the way those double kicks follow that part of the riff at the start, that’s a disgusting guitar sound, I love it, then its full on blast beats for the verse, before sort of half timing and falling in between the two tempos for the next section, again I think the two vocalists work really well on this one, giving a good contrast, really cool trem picked riff comes in before an almost chopped guitar part before it kicks in with the double kicks, then it slows, way down for that middle section, almost a slam part, what’s that a melodic clean guitar part and then a solo over it, yeah that’s what we have, wasn’t expecting that at all, nice track to end with!
10 out of 10
I love the two vocalists on all the songs, and I think it made this even more interesting, the playing is absolutely on point as I expected before I even put it on, but I feel like there is a load more to this album, the production is massive, it’s a stunning brutally heavy album
So sit back, grab a snack, and crawl down into the Vault of Horrors. Order your copy now:
https://aborted.bfan.link/vault-of-horrors
Photo credit: Laura Lateralus
