ALBUM REVIEW: To Bathe from the Throat of Cowardice – Vitriol
Technical death metal has become one of death metal’s favoured sons over the last decade or so. But while many of the sub-genre’s biggest exports could, perhaps, be accused of being technical for technicalities sake to an extent, there is a darker, more dissonant breed of technical death metal. Taking influence from genre favourites NILE, HATE ETERNAL and KRISIUN, Oregon’s VITRIOL are bringing a new intensity where technicality is a means to an end, rather than an end itself. With their debut album, To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice, can the trio stamp their name on the death metal scene, or are they another flavour of the month, destined to fall by the wayside?
VITRIOL waste absolutely no time in getting started, throwing the listener full force into a brick wall of brutality with a re-recording of their 2018 single, The Parting Of A Neck. For those unfamiliar with the band, this serves not so much as a baptism of fire as being drop kicked into an active volcano. Furious aggression, breakneck speed and a terrifying dual vocal assault from front men Kyle Rasmussen and Adam Roethlisberger showcase exactly what the trio are capable of, using a jaw-dropping level of technicality to create an atmosphere of pure sonic violence. Crowned In Retaliation shows a comparatively down-paced approach to the brutality, before ramping the intensity back up again and allowing Rasmussen to deliver enough abuse to the whammy bar to make Kirk Hammett feel pain, while flexing his incredible solo chops – which feel more akin to Trey Azagthoth than Christian Muenzner, further cementing the notion of the kind of technicality VITRIOL are utilising.
Legacy Of Contempt is a burst of pure obliteration, and shows the first leanings thus far of the obsessively-sweep-picking variety of tech-death – though this is short lived, and buried under an atmosphere of pure violence. The speed makes way for an utterly crushing, and surprisingly catchy, groove towards the end of the song before VITRIOL crash in with video single I Drown Nightly. Again, bringing a subtle groove under the whirlwind of sonic chaos, VITRIOL do their damnedest to leave the listener little more than a bludgeoned mess.
Ramming through the mid-way point, we get to a duo of the record’s finest offerings: the utterly mind-bending The Rope Calls You Brother, and the ferocious A Gentle Gift. One of the longest offerings on To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice, The Rope Calls You Brother uses every second of its run time to hammer home the emotion and fury behind VITRIOL‘s music. Transitioning from an unnatural bpm to a more palatable groove and back again, The Rope Calls You Brother carries an intensity that may well leave you needing a cup of tea and a lie down after even a cursory listen. Don’t let the easy build up to A Gentle Gift fool you – VITRIOL don’t follow up the evisceration of The Rope Calls You Brother with a gentler time, rather they use A Gentle Gift to further bludgeon your already brutalised ears. However, here, we see the band at their hookiest – though there is no easing up on the intensity, A Gentle Gift is one of the more memorable tracks on To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice.
Both Violence, A Worthy Truth and Victims were previously available on the band’s debut EP, Pain Will Define Their Death, and though they tick all the right boxes for what makes VITRIOL‘s debut album such a terrifying listen, they do stick out somewhat and feel slightly out of place. Nothing less than great songs, but more suited to their initial EP release than To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice. Penultimate track Hive Lungs, the last truly new song on the record, brings a chaotic, grinding approach to proceedings gives the listener another wonderful dose of Rasmussen‘s incredible soloing. Rounding off what can only be described as 2019’s most terrifying album, a rewritten version of Pain Will Define Their Death blasts in like a demolition. Expanded by over two minutes, yet somehow tightened up, this version of Pain Will Define Their Death sees all the intensity, the urgency, and the unrestrained sonic brutality of the album come to a head, finishing the record fantastically.
Throughout To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice, the technicality on display is impressive, sure; but what’s more impressive is the way it is used. The breakneck speed and whirlwind of notes is less of a self-proclamation of talent, and more of a means to further drag the listener into chaos. The chaos on offer here makes for an exhausting time – this isn’t background music, or a casual listen, this is a record that demands your full and undivided attention, and not for those of a weak disposition. With To Bathe From The Throat Of Cowardice, VITRIOL have created one of the most intense, chaotic and aurally violent releases of 2019 – the sonic equivalent of being bludgeoned and torn apart in a maelstrom. And every second is bliss – horrifying, brutalising bliss.
Rating: 9/10
To Bathe from the Throat of Cowardice is out now via Century Media Records.
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