Worship. A word used to condemn so many death metal bands to obscurity. Whether it’s Incantation worship, Obituary worship, Autopsy worship, etc, many death metal bands find themselves described only by reference. With their debut record, Poisoned Void, Finnish death metal act Vorum succeed in breaking free of such definitions, instead combining aspects of many acts, twisting them, and creating their own sound.
“Poisoned Void” is the Vorum’s full length debut, put out by Woodcut Records and Dark Descent. On the heels of their EP Grim Death Awaits and their split with Vasaeleth Profane Limbs of Ruinous Death Vorum have honed their sound into something refreshing in a genre saturated with recycled riffs and half-baked executions. Each member of this four piece is clearly comfortable with their instruments and showcase their technicality without coming off as overwrought. Production is key to capturing the essence of death metal, and Poisoned Void clearly hits the mark. The drum hits are clear without being overbearing, the guitars have just the right amount of murkiness, and the vocals are high enough in the mix to avoid being crushed by the technicality of the instrumentation.
Opener Impetious Fires sets the stage for what is to come. With a blistering riff that twists and turns before descending into a classic, old-school solo the energy of this song sets a high standard for the rest of the record. Guitarist and vocalist Jonatan Johansson’s vocal delivery is impeccable. Guttural and furious, yet clear enough to understand, he manages to rise above the intricate instrumentation. The manic vocals are necessary when so much is going on below the surface.
Drummer Mikko Josefsson effortlessly guides each track, every drum hit hammering home the brutality without taking over. Rabid Blood exemplifies this as he keeps pace with a series of frenetic solos, switching from uptempo to down tempo and back again. His finest moment is on Evil Seed though, I challenge you to listen to the first part and not end up with the drum line stuck in your head.
Tracks like Thriving Darkness and the titular Poisoned Void bring forth some much welcomed sludgier elements, at least for a few seconds before snapping right back into mind bending . It is interesting to see how the album progression marks a clear progression the band’s sound. Though never relenting, this record explores so many variations on the death metal formula, even in a single song. More than anything though, “Poisoned Void” sounds evil. It captures the menace inherent to death metal, distills it, and leaves you wanting more.
“Poisoned Void” is available January 25th and can be ordered at Dark Descent Records for those of us in the US and Woodcut Records in Europe.
Dutch Pearce
January 24, 2013 at 9:34 am
Great review and judging by the song above I need to get this album.