ALBUM REVIEW: Vomit Ritual – Callous

VOMIT RITUAL return with a new album of Blackened Death Metal savagery. Out via Pulverised Records on July 16th.

Blundering in with primitive riffs, the bestial rage is pounded in with bass drum kicks before the raw riffs and cymbals belt out a venomous groove in unison. The lack of introduction, opting for simple but effective instrumentation to kick things off feels much more direct. This theory is proven as howling vocals and blastbeats up the ante with some convulsive Death Metal guitar work that is caustic and bludgeoning with its blackened edge and unearthly atmosphere. Firing on all cylinders, the rampage of sonic warfare quickly descends into the pits of hell with a scathing onslaught of instrumental and vocal torment that invokes the spirit of Blasphemy, Black Witchery, Conqueror and the like with glorious results. The lead work is fierce but remains seated in the rhythmic battery, something that is consistent through the record is just how hard the primal assault hits. With a raw and brutish production, this beast lumbers with no remorse as bestial riffs and hammering drums contort into a demonic backdrop of horrors for the vocals to cascade blasphemies upon.

Forging forth, this album is certainly a menacing and uncomfortable listen with ambience and atmospheric flare that makes the music far less predictable than one might imagine. Interestingly on songs like “Lower Vibrational Entities”, Vomit Ritual step almost completely into Black Metal territory before bringing that pulverising Death Metal vitriol back into the mix. This wandering of genre works to create a much more transcendental effect between songs that benefit from not feeling too repetitive. Though diverse, that cutting blastbeat and low tremolo riff artillery does remain consistently through most of the album, as does this Archgoat style groove that gives the songs a lot of backbone. Ending on a grandiose and dissonant spectacle of hypnotic Blackened Death Metal excellence, it is clear Vomit Ritual have a lot to offer which will hopefully materialise in the near future.

This is a Bestial Black Death Metal triumph that keeps things varied while never losing the spirit of their musical ancestors nor ripping them off. While little is done here that exactly re-writes the formula, it works and is done with a clearly genuine flame of darkness. A ferocious and savage opus that is certainly going to satisfy the morbid cravings of ritualistic Black-Death Metal maniacs. There is certainly room to sharpen the spearhead here, but it certainly is neither dull nor weak. Overall, a crushing effort with a lot of potential for future releases to be monoliths of sonic destruction.