EP REVIEW: Altars of Cosmic Devotion – Vøidwomb
Though bands from North America, Central Europe and Scandinavia still dominate much of the top spots in the worldwide heavy metal scene, the last decade has shown that there are gems to be found in all corners of the planet. From black metal in Russia and the Middle East to folk metal in Mongolia and just about every other genre from every place in between, the world of heavy music is very much a globalised one. Long gone are the days where bands had to be from Germany, the UK or the USA to gain notoriety. Hailing from northern of the country, VØIDWOMB join GAEREA in putting Portugal on the international map of extreme metal with their stunning debut EP, Alters of Cosmic Devotion.
Introductory tracks can be a bit of a point of contention – at times, they can serve as an interesting prelude to a release, helping establish the mood and atmosphere right off the bat, or, alternatively, they can be little more than a collection of unfinished ideas that serve little purpose other than to pad a release out by a few minutes. Fortunately, the Intro to Altars of Cosmic Devotion falls into the former. There isn’t a huge amount going on here – backmasked speech leads into a doomy riff and drum passage, but immediately VØIDWOMB create a sense of foreboding and cosmic horror as if the listener is hearing something forbidden.
It doesn’t take long for the EP to start proper, though. Summon of Utu-Shamash batteries in with a stomp, jarring notes doubling down on the sense of atmosphere and tension the introductory track created. VØIDWOMB show one of their strengths even at this early stage – be it the doomy, riff-focused passages, the relentless blasting or the maelstrom of tremolos, the band are equally comfortable and proficient. It’s immediately clear any song penned by the quintet is going to be an exercise in dynamics. Some short-lived, slick soloing completes the package – but things only get better from here. Descent to Ersetu is vicious in its execution, blistering speed making way for crushing grooves while evil melodies and ritualistic chants add yet more dimensions.
While Summon of Utu-Shamash and Descent to Ersetu showcased a lovely sense of pacing and dynamic song-writing, Architects of World Demise wastes no time on such frivolities. If every release has a designated banger, just fist-in-the-face aggression and brutality, this is Altars of Cosmic Devotion‘s. Rapid, rabid, and raucous, the blistering pace makes way only for a a brief moment of ringing bass before VØIDWOMB explode with speed once more. The closing title track, though, this is really something else. Gloriously catchy blackened riffing doubles up with a return of that wonderful sense of pace as the quintet seem to effortless flit between speed and groove, aggression and atmosphere.
The only real shortcoming of Altars of Cosmic Devotion is that there isn’t more of it. At just five tracks and 17 minutes long, there simply isn’t enough here to satiate the need they’ve created for their own style of blackened death metal. Atmospherically haunting and sonically brutalising with just a touch of memorability and doom-laden riff work, VØIDWOMB have crafted something very special indeed with their debut. Time will tell whether they can double down on the potential shown here, but there’s absolutely no doubt the Portuguese quintet will be an outfit to watch for the foreseeable future.
Rating: 9/10
Altars of Cosmic Devotion is out now via Iron Bonehead Productions.
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