You can’t always hear a band’s name and know exactly what you’re to expect, but more often than not, reading into what you can expect works really well in metal. But the first time I ever heard of Witch Vomit, I anticipated filthy, guttural death metal that stabs at you with no mercy and a penchant to disgust, and goddamn if they don’t nail that very thing every time out.
Lucky us, we’re blessed with a new four-track EP from these Seattle beasts in the form of “Abhorrent Rapture,” their first new music since 2019’s killer second full-length effort “Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave.” We kind of know what to expect anyway since the band has a deadly track record, but even from the first time hearing those two words that comprise their name, it was easy to imagine what they had in mind, and we were disgustingly pleased with those results. The band—guitarist/vocalist Tempter, guitarist C.L., bassist J.G., drummer Filth—waste no time getting in, creating unreal carnage, and getting out, leaving veins squirting blood all over the room. This might not be a full-length record, but their power and violent intensity certainly don’t take it easy on you, unveiling old school death metal that brings no mercy or concern for your well being.
“Purulent Burial Mound” starts things with a strange movie clip before we rip into death metal’s worm-infested heart, devouring it whole anyway. Growls creak as the playing speeds up, going guttural and ugly, leaving waste behind. Guitars stir and crush, your stomach juice sloshes, and the track ends in a pit of blinding hell. “Funeral Purgation” brings twisting riffs as ugliness is belched out, even pulling into doom’s hallways. Leads light up as the lava flows, and then things get disturbingly calm before the riffs stab back, and the beastly assault leaves you writhing in your own piss. “Necrometamorphosis” guts as it trudges by, and an evil feel works into your bloodstream. Monstrous stomping comes to life, the leads twist guts, and the rampage gains even more steam, wrecking your psyche. Guitars squeal as the growls grunt in fury, and everything ends in a cloud of dust and unspeakable horror. The title track ends the collection by rumbling the ground beneath us all, and the growls grip at your throat. The pace races before the ambiance turns exploratory, soaring into space and leaving you dizzied. Reality then returns, the assault is reengaged, and the track ends in gargantuan terror.
Witch Vomit follow up the tremendous momentum they built with “Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave” with this destructive EP “Abhorrent Rapture,” 18 minutes of pure death metal chaos. People already were mentioning Witch Vomit in the conversation of modern death metal powers, and they only serve to strengthen their case with these four songs. This is death that bathes in horror and doom that leaves you nauseated but weirdly satisfied.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/WebsOfHorror
To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/witchvomit
For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 