Twisting together gore and creative tenacity into some kind of bizarre concoction is something not a lot of bands do expertly. Usually it’s one or the other, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. But melding both worlds together is something to behold as it creates a tornadic force that is as violent as it is mind warping.
Aussie death metal power Vile Apparition show both terrifying imaginations and stunning musical prowess on their second record “Malignity,” their first in six years. It’s not like this is a new phenomenon for this band—vocalist/guitarist Jamie Colic, guitarist Jordan Fernand, bassist Noah Papworth, drummer Ollie Ballantyne—as they’ve shown a grasp for the grotesque and the brilliant at the same time. But this isn’t four guys showing off. Their skills are on full display but never become the story. Instead, they use their ability to make things more interesting, to add new spices into the blood-and-guts stew.
“Siphoning Life” opens with static snarling, the words of a serial killer sprawling, working into the first full track “Bloodletting” that bludgeons from the start. Howls mar, later mixing with piercing shrieks, the leads glimmering as the bass recoils. The pace drives and darts, the leads swimming into oblivion as the hammer drops viciously. “White Room Torture” ravages, beastly vocals flexing, the drums destroying and accelerating as manic ferocity. Guitars bend before forming a noxious cloud, and then all elements veer toward a strange spacey abyss. “A Canvas of Corpses” tears open, the drumming leaving you in the dust, throaty growls landing blows that combine with the electric assault. Guitars fire and twist as speed becomes a greater factor, injecting full intensity before vanishing. “Broken Minds” fires up immediately, growls crushing while guitars are churning, the brutality smearing with relentless precision. Growls and shrieks upend any sanity remaining while the guitars go off, illuminating a horrifying end. “Pulverised Dreams” is the biggest surprise, an instrument that opens with a flourish of classical acoustic guitar, strings aching, and fast picking reminding you they may deal with obscene horrors, but the fuckers can play, too.
“The Essence of Malignity” destroys from the start, brutality reigning as the vocals lay waste, destruction lurching across the land. The pace slows and chugs, letting the stench carry, and then things pick up in a hurry only to delve back into skull-dragging menace. “Castrated Gods” unloads, the lead scorch and take on rubbery flexibility, and then the heat multiplies, adding a smoldering finish on their insanity. Sooty growls choke as the pace pounds away mercilessly, everything coming to a blood-soaked end. “Thriving on Disease” explodes with tricky leads, tires chewing through the mud, and melodies spiraling and making the room spin. The devastation continue to mount, the soloing exploding and hurtling toward the stars, shifting back into spastic chaos that ends in a colorful sound warp. “Emulsifying Fleshpress” attacks right away, twisting limbs, compromising muscles, the growls buried into thick mud. The bass sprawls as the tempo comes unglued, crushing and thrashing, deliberately fading into a weird miasma. Closer “Decapitation Rites” is relentless, pulverizing right off the bat, the growls retching as the soloing takes command. The final half of the song is an effusive display of might, the pace punishing, howls strangling, and the guitars blazing into a final grave ensnared by cosmic echo.
Vile Apparition have a strange mix of guttural terror and mind-blowing musicianship, and they manage to make both work in spades on “Malignity.” This record keeps warping and growing each listen, and there are so many interesting things packed between the layers of gore, that it might not seem apparent at first. This is a wrenching record that should amplify this band’s profile among death metal hordes if there is any justice in the world.
For more on the band, go here: https://vileapparition.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/shop/
Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/vile-apparition-malignity-lp/
For more on the label, go here: https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/
And here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/
Meat Mead Metal 