Album Review: Vomitory – In Death Throes
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Vomitory are a band many, myself included, are ecstatic are back on the touring circuit. A powerful name amidst Swedish death metal the band formed out of Värmland in 1989 and for nearly twenty-five years straight enjoyed an unbroken, revered succession of records that always delivered on the promise of energy and entertainment. By come 2013 the band suddenly decided to call it a day, short lived however, performing a one-off in 2017 to honour the passing of Europe’s Metal Blade Records’ manager Michael Trengert having first signed the band back in 1999 and a major name behind the organisation of Summer Breeze. But just a year later it was confirmed Vomitory would reunite in earnest for their thirtieth anniversary, releasing their first record in twelve years, All Heads Are Gonna Roll, in 2023, a storming return for the band. Another three years on and approaching their fortieth anniversary we see Vomitory unleash their tenth full length record, In Death Throes, maintaining their Metal Blade Records signing for an April 10th release date. These guys never disappoint and so I was more than ready to see what they in store for me.
Vomitory play death metal like you owe them money. Some could say you know exactly what you’re getting with Vomitory however many would agree in turn that that is a positive. Whatever side you take their performance, their frantic energy, cannot be denied as they storm out of the gates with a speed and drive that would make even the most diabolical newbie check themselves before their own foot forward. Considering how long these guys have been at it the pace they establish is incredible, as one slew of notes succeeds the next without any decline in intensity.
In Death Throes aids Vomitory in this instance with a guitar attack that’s been thrust right to our very noses. The whole band have their time to shine but it’s clear from simply listening that the band have placed strong emphasis on the riffs and guitar presence. Whether playing at speed or through blockier, segmented songwriting, Vomitory manage to pull you in with ease and there’s no hope of escape either. Listen keenly to the echoic element throughout the record too, for whilst the band play death metal solely intent on killing you it’s evident the record’s walls are a little further out than their sound reaches. As a result In Death Throes assumes a grand and encompassing shape without the record feeling like it’s bursting at the seams. It also infers their sound could have gone even louder, even bigger, but the band chose not to for the sake of not overwhelming their audience.
Vomitory’s songwriting works well and has often done so throughout their career, but In Death Throes really highlights the allure their sound possesses. When one listens to them play you’re not just receiving this bludgeoning, hammering performance that sees your body thrust into the earth but a bouncing and rolling experience, where you can imagine floors and walls swaying to and fro. This is why Vomitory have so championed the moniker of death n’ roll for whilst their songwriting is rooted in death metal it doesn’t convey brutality as much as carnage. The former is more abrasive whereas the latter, that which Vomitory propagate herein, surmises the general atmosphere of wholesale killing on a great and bloody scale. In addition, Vomitory’s songwriting is comprised of sweeping slews of riffs where one section bleeds into the next creating this unbroken torrent of death.
While All Heads Are Gonna Roll was their comeback I feel like In Death Throes is Vomitory distilled to their purest and clearest. It’s so pure in fact one could look into this record cover and understand precisely what they’re about. There’s no higher message with this record, no greater meaning the band wanted to convey with this work; In Death Throes possesses ten songs designed and performed to kill their audience, that’s it. It’s a rare instance where a death metal band wrote death metal for fun and whilst their energy consistently takes you over the edge, you’ll always feel like all in the name of sheer enjoyment. There’s never any test to pass to “get” this record, it simply asks of you “Are you ready?”. It also never stops for a second so while one could say Vomitory are lacking in variety here, that’s not the point to either this record or the band as a whole. You know what you’re here for as do Vomitory, so they might as well give you what you’re after. It’s this approach to songwriting and keeping things straightforward that’s why Vomitory continue to be adored thirty-seven years following their inception.
In conclusion, In Death Throes is a record that understood the assignment to the letter. In just over thirty-seven minutes Vomitory unleash everything they have distilled into ten tracks with the sole intent of slaughter and battery on their minds. They really are the Swedish equivalent of If It’s not Broken, Don’t Fix It, for this record is nothing you won’t have heard before yet it’ll still smash your frail form into the middle of next week. It wakes up pissed off, roars down your throat and goes to bed pissed off and I can only surmise their next record will be just as furious to have been woken up. It’s the kind of record you’ll love to have on because you can totally switch off and let the adrenaline and power wash over you, and better yet it’s easy listening too. Count me in.
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