Death metal has shaken the idea that it always has to be about blood and guts and blew that into outer space. That’s a good thing, because think of how much the sound has twisted and morphed the last couple of decades, giving us exciting bands and thought-provoking records. It remains brutal; it just doesn’t have to be filled with puss.

UK death crushers Vacuous operate with their hands in each bucket of death. On one … hand, they certainly grind your brains and muscles to the extreme. On the other, they expand their minds and ambitions further than most, which you can hear on their devastating new record “In His Blood,” their second. Over eight tracks and 32 minutes, the band—vocalist Jo Chen, guitarists Michael Brodsky and Ezra Harkin, bassist Zak Mullard, drummer Max Southall—does mix in horror elements, but also themes such as school violence, toxic masculinity, and global divides that push more into psychological and social trauma that is even more harrowing in reality. Plus, the record just sounds great, an ideal blend of violent and visceral that challenges your brain.

“In His Blood” opens with wild cries, echo-rich playing that numbs your brain, and blistering playing that leaves you unhinged. Growls crush as the playing tears even harder, battling and choking with muck. “Stress Positions” enters with strong riffs and a thrashy feel, a simple, yet brutal chorus landing blows, the leads scaling and making blood rush. Murky heat covers as mournful guitars pour darkness, a thickening fog meeting with an electric gaze. “Hunger” is dark and dripping, the violent touches cutting deep,  a sinister fury blazing with a heavy force. The shrieks deface as a cold shadow takes over, thickening darkness before guitars blast through, ending everything in splintering tones. “Flesh Parade” clobbers right away, the guitars chugging, leaving painful abrasions. They unleash the battering ram, knifing through molten, sooty terrain, the guitars bending and adding levels of confusion, the final moments blurred out of sight.

“Public Humiliation” begins ominously with clean guitars glistening, the track settling into a calculated pace that turns vicious and throaty in no time. The humidity thickens as mesmerizing melodies flow, taking its time to unite with unsettling heat. “Contraband,” a song about 39 Vietnamese migrants suffocating in a lorry on a voyage to England, is darker, with growls crawling through blood and bile, the speed eventually becoming a factor. Guitars spit a gazey ambiance, uniting with a mauling pace that joins with mind-altering static, eventually hitting the gas pedal and crash landing. “Immersion” starts with drums erupting, the vocals spitting nails, rushing into bloody, agitated waves, the noise layering into a synth cloud. Voices appear to melt from a fever dream, a strange aura swallowing everything whole. Closer “No Longer Human” has a slower build, mixing into doom elements, shriekier vocals peeling back flesh. The pace pounds as death growls bubble, chilling sequences reverberating, guitars disorienting, a final gasp stabbing hard.

Vacuous certainly don’t back away from death metal’s normal shock and gore, but they’re about so much more, which you can hear on “In His Blood.” Yes, the skullduggery is apparent, but so are the various tones and sounds that separate them from the bulk of the sub-genre’s pack, making their work less indulgent in horrors and more interested in creating a dynamic, yet dark experience. This is a great step forward for the band that is aiming to keep death metal not only relevant but increasingly more creative.

For more on the band, go here: https://vacuousdeath.bandcamp.com/album/in-his-blood

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/vacuous-in-his-blood

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