ALBUM REVIEW: Xenogenesis – Volturyon

With Sweden having perhaps one of the best death metal scenes on the planet, with the underground and mainstream alike being saturated with exceptionally talented bands, there is, inevitably, plenty of hidden gems that get criminally overlooked. Borlänge’s VOLTURYON are one such band. Since the release of their Blood Cure debut back in 2008, the band have carved out a solid reputation for producing razor sharp death metal with a brutal side that makes them stand apart from the typical, melodic sound that many Swedish bands adopt. Their latest, fourth record, Xenogenesis, which comes almost four years after its predecessor, Cleansed By Carnage, and stands as perhaps the band’s strongest, and most definitive output to date.

Bloodspattered Banner bursts into life with a cacophonous blend of jarring leads, authoritative drumming and sludgy rhythms, which do a great job of grabbing the listeners attention. The monstrous vocals make this song even heavier, making for a robust and intense start to the record. Mother takes a groove-laden approach to the guitars, which gives this song a powerful, punchy sound that sound excellent. There’s some great, rabid flourishes thrown in amongst the tighter hooks, which help to turn this already impressive track into a gargantuan juggernaut.

Xenogenesis ratchets up the aggression, with disjointed chords, bellicose gutturals and thunderous drums combining for a massive, impenetrable sound with plenty of off kilter, interesting melodies adding a sense of urgency to everything, resulting in an early stand out track. World Pandemic makes full use of grating, discordant guitars in ways that have only been hinted at up until this point, with the dense, chugging undercurrent and energetic vocal lines giving this song a overall livelier feel, establishing it as one of the album’s more ferocious numbers.

Catharsis possesses some of the vilest, visceral guitars on the album so far, with the opening riff commanding the listeners attention. It quickly descends into a whirlwind of caustic vocals, intricate drumming and imaginative guitar work that places it head and shoulders above much of what has preceded it. Memoirs from the Morgue, with its chunky, monolithic leads and bestial growls proves to be a great slab of death metal with a brutal tinge to it, which gives this relatively mid-paced affair a weightier, savage side that sounds magnificent.

Void, a noticeably darker, focused piece of music, again incorporates some slick, but nonetheless crushing, leads that carry this track, elevating what could have been one of the albums less memorable gambits to be one of its more enduring tracks. The triptych of The Demiurge, Invisible Abomination and Novichock all seem to follow a similar formula, utilising a bombastic, rhythmic style with plenty of meaty guitars and equally substantial vocals. Unfortunately, placing these three tracks together, all of which rely on the same formula, ultimately makes them blend into the album rather than add to it. This isn’t to say these songs are bad, they just don’t measure up to the quality of music that has dominated the album up to this point.

Rancid Messiah remedies the slight shortcomings of the last few songs, with the music taking on a speed-driven and primal edge, with easily some of the best guitars on the whole record, and perhaps its most emotively powerful vocals too, injecting plenty of intensity and frenzied energy into this song, successfully bringing the album to a close on one of its highest points.

It’s very hard to find fault with this album, and it’s clear that the almost four year gap between Cleansed By Carnage and this record has been used to trim what little fat there was within the bands sound, leaving behind only lean, aggressive death metal. The production, at points, borders on the clinical, but more often than not the crisper, more polished mix makes for a sharper and more focused sound, with the musicianship and catchier quality of the music helping to turn this record from a good one to a great one. With music like this, VOLTURYON could very well establish themselves at the forefront of Sweden’s death metal underground.

Rating: 8/10

Xenogenesis is out now via ViciSolum Productions.

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