Vile, gross Witch Vomit return with death cauldron of blood on sick ‘… in a Bottomless Grave’

Is it just me, or does it seem we’re exploding at the seams with really good death metal? That’s not a complaint or a problem, because there were times not very long ago where you practically had to mine for this stuff, so having an abundance of great bands playing this style is something to cherish now since it won’t last forever. Right?

Anyway, our latest dose of the quality filth comes from Portland, Ore., maulers Witch Vomit, who have reached back with their second full-length “Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave,” itself a terrifying idea to behold. If you were around for their smashing 2017 mini LP “Poisoned Blood” or their 2016 debut “A Scream From a Tomb Below,” you’re going to find the crops have only grown rottener and more putrid since that time. This record is seven tracks that crawl over nearly 28 minutes, which is an ideal length for this thing. It gets in, destroys your body, and gets out without overstaying its welcome. There’s something to be said for that, as more bands should go this route than do the bloating overstuffed thing. A development for the band is they added a second guitar player C.L. to go along with guitarist/vocalist Tempter, bassist J.G., and drummer Filth to round out this solid, punishing lineup.

“From Rotten Guts” opens the record, which is fitting because it sounds like that’s where this music originated. Weird synth fires up before the track bursts at the seams with vicious growls and a barreling assault. The track rumbles in ugliness, a vile cackle pokes fun at your wounds, and riffs encircle, making your upset tummy even more acidic. “Despoilment” has a crunchy start as the guitars flurry and growls simmer in the muck. There’s a cool, swaggering transition that brings in delirious riffing, rubbery melodies, and everything is swallowed into a weird transmission nailed home by a clip from the movie “Prince of Darkness.” The title track follows by hammering bones and unleashing spidery guitar work that crawls into doomy terrain that chugs and chews. The leads burn while the growls punch in, and the vicious mangling comes to a violent end.

“Dead Veins” has drums blasting and a charging riff pushing face-first into the gravelly growls. The playing is fiery and gross as the body crushes, and the guitars go into a screaming assault that stings the ears. Guitars then well up and drip slowly, coming to a slurry end. “Dripping Tombs” devastates right away, as sludgy guitars thicken things, and there’s a run that reminds me a Black Tusk’s southern nastiness, which might not make sense to anyone but me. The track is fiery as it comes to its end, with massive growls sinking in the final daggers. “Squirming in Misery” is a brain-melting instrumental that bathes in dizzying riffs, surging power, and even some catchiness. The track thrashes hard, strange snarls add venom, and things spin out in a haze of alien keys. “Fumes of Dying Bodies” ends the record by landing heavy blows right off the bat, the growls tidal wave in blood, and everything funnels into pure hell. Later on, the pace gallops as things get more dangerous, the growls reopen congealed wounds, and everything ends in a gurgling pool.

Our cups run over with great death metal this year, and Witch Vomit’s contribution definitely will not go unnoticed. “Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave” is a massive, threatening collection that will make your stomach churn and you dry heave with the nauseous emissions they’ve created. This band has traveled a little under the radar, but this album should solve that problem once it infects more ears.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/WebsOfHorror

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/witch-vomit-buried-deep-in-a-bottomless-grave

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/