EP REVIEW: Vergence – Ferum

Hitting you with a double punch combination of death and doom metal are Italian trio FERUM. Conceived deep in the heart of Bologna last year, the three piece’s debut EP brings with it a certain level of unpredictability; you’re unlikely to have heard much like this in the last 12 months.

Comprising of five tracks (one of which is a cover of classic CIANIDE track Funeral), Vergence is a four song barrage of speed riffs and deep vocals. The strict, no nonsense vibe that burns throughout the EP is both friend and foe to FERUM, with some segments of the record lacking a distinctive tone.

The impromptu sea changes between thrash and doom on Siege of Carnality are authoritative to say the least, and there’s no lack of intensity here, FERUM burst out the gates like a train. Perpetual Distrust follows in a similar vein, sounding like a doom concoction made in an inferno, and throughout the short run time of Vergence there are very few drops in impact.

In fact, Vergence is probably the very depiction of the phrase “it does what it says on the tin”. You’ll come into this expecting hard riffs and a steadfast flow surrounding them, and that’s exactly what you get. The EP is slightly too loose around the edges vocally though. As morbid as Vergence constantly sound, tracks like Subconscious Annihilation suffer from lackadaisical and under worked vocals. It results in the EP at times sounding severely lacking in cohesion and structure.

Instrumentally Vergence often kicks your head in wonderfully; the guitar tone is gritty, and the drums rarely relent. FERUM may find difficulty spreading across the masses with their current vocal set up, but there’s certainly a home for them in a sub-section of death metal.

Rating: 6/10

Vergence is out now via Everlasting Spew Records. 

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