ALBUM REVIEW: Samsara – Venom Prison

Few could have predicted the success that VENOM PRISON experienced when Animus was released back in 2016. Adored by critics and fans alike, the next two years spawned relentless touring for the South Wales’ bruisers and now, the band sit as frontrunners for the UK’s booming heavy music scene. Now, three years later, sophomore effort Samsara is here and the weight of expectation is enormous.

Whilst their debut was an unprecedented release of rage, Samsara is a more cold and calculated killer. Sure, the brutality that we’ve come to expect with VENOM PRISON still lies at the record’s beating heart but Samsara feels a hell of a lot more dynamic in its delivery. Opener Matriphagy threatens to induce a blunt force trauma right from the off as a barrage of shredding riffs and guttural vocal blasts from Larissa Stupar but by Megillus & Leana, the album’s second number, the band’s development rears its head. Boasting some seriously impressive solo work and a slight break in brutality in the track’s latter stages is a nice touch, one which helps pace the carnage effectively. It gives the first glimpse into how VENOM PRISON are pushing their sound forward and it stands as an early album highlight.

From there, VENOM PRISON continue to deliver an abundance of razor-sharp and relentless death metal but the balancing and pacing of its delivery is simply outstanding. Uterine Industrialisation, the first single from the album, sounds even more monstrous in the context of the album whilst Self Inflicted Violence‘s thrashy riffing from Ash Gray and Ben Thomas injects a high dosage of speed as the album hits its half-way point. Similarly, Deva’s Enemy, a short instrumental number, is placed perfectly at the half-way mark of the record. The sinister atmosphere keeps you on the edge of the seat without the need for a bludgeoning punch of riffs and vocal snarls, and it helps give you a brief moment of respite before Asura’s Realm roars the album back into life through glorious lead guitar-play that then subsides into a groove-heavy track of shredding riffs.

Indeed dynamics act as the glue that holds Samsara together and it demonstrates how the band have confidently developed in the years since Animus. Each breakdown hits harder, the technicality of the band’s instrumentation is ramped up without being lost in the wall of noise and Larissa‘s vocals are even more effective as her range of high-pitched shrieks and rumbling lows sound even more monstrous. Even in the album’s final third, VENOM PRISON continue to showcase their class and quality. Sadistic Rituals‘ subtle hints of melody behind the noise work a treat, helping create a moving and intense atmosphere whilst Dukkha‘s twisting foray of technical-driven riffing and soaring gutturals presents a big highlight in the record’s latter moments. It’s simply remarkable just how far VENOM PRISON have come in the years since Animus and as Samsara finishes with a sonic maelstrom that is Naraka, any doubts that the band couldn’t exceed expectations are squashed firmly under their collective boots.

Given the sheer amount of pressure surrounding Samsara, you could forgive VENOM PRISON for resting on their laurels and delivering an album that replicates Animus‘ winning formula, but VENOM PRISON just aren’t that type of band. Samsara is a calculated monster of a record, one which pushes their savage brand of death metal defiantly forward and it is an utter triumph.

Rating: 9/10

Samsara is set for release on March 15th via Prosthetic Records.

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