#faceless-burial — Public Fediverse posts

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement Review

By Maddog

Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.

A first pass through Chasm of Immurement suggests primitive death metal with a dollop of doom. “Eternal Blaze” opens the album with a bang that recalls Faceless Burial’s Speciation. After grabbing me by the anus, Clairvoyance maintains its hold by alternating between mid-range Obituary riffs and lurching Autopsy-style death-doom. These lowbrow highlights feel both as slimy and evolved as an amoeba. With both its riffs and its guitar tone, Chasm of Immurement leaves a palpable layer of grime that justifies multiple colonoscopies. “Blood Divine” emerges as a late gem through riffs that are gory enough to draw blood and enormous enough to evoke Immolation. This isn’t isolated to a subset of the tracks; throughout its runtime, Chasm of Immurement alternates between a sixteen-wheeler and a used minivan without dulling its fun.

On your fifth listen, Clairvoyance’s experimental bent comes into view. The same doomy riffs you’d heard before reveal spooky foreground melodies (“Reign of Silence”). The same track that you’d interpreted as a caveman ditty blossoms in baffling melodic directions in its second half (“Eternal Blaze”). The same song that introduced itself as by-the-books death metal culminates in a monstrous doomy climax (“Fleshmachine”). The same sections that you’d dismissed as repetitive transform into home bases for grimy excursions, interfering with your sleep schedule and your family obligations. Adorning hefty riffs with sinister melodies, Clairvoyance recalls both Lovecraft’s Azathoth and Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth. It took me a while to realize that I was doing Chasm of Immurement an injustice by pigeonholing it into old-school death metal. It is indeed that, but it’s so much more.

Clairvoyance’s varying ambitions both empower and dilute each other. Spanning 34 minutes across 6 tracks, Chasm of Immurement is a concise collection of lengthy tracks. Some of its pieces wander, especially at their simplest. For instance, despite being the second shortest track, “Blood Divine” feels lengthy because of its dearth of creative ideas. Similarly, the shortest song, “Eternal Blaze,” suffers from riffwork that’s decent but unimaginative, before eventually redeeming itself with more variety. Even so, these flubs are rare. The six-minute “Hymn of the Befouled” is the starkest counterexample, balancing length with girth by combining a vicious off-kilter main riff with melodic escapades that hold me rapt. Parts of Chasm of Immurement could do a better job of remaining engaging, but it’s hardly a fatal flaw.

Balancing thoughtful death metal and anti-intellectual death-doom, Clairvoyance’s debut is as weird as it is powerful. Neanderthals who need their fix should look here, as Chasm of Immurement’s crushing death metal riffs rival the best of old-school death metal. Conversely, fans of Morbid Angel’s wonkiness or Tomb Mold’s shapeshifting shenanigans will find just as much to love here. Chasm of Immurement is unlikely to dethrone Faithxtractor’s Loathing and the Noose atop my 2025 death metal ranking, as its occasional meandering loses my interest. But it’s a promising debut from a crew of talented Polish fiends.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/clairvoyancedeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #BrutalDeath #BrutalDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #ChasmOfImmurement #Clairvoyance #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #FacelessBurial #Immolation #Jul25 #MorbidAngel #Obituary #PolishMetal #ProgDeath #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #TombMold

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement Review

By Maddog

Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.

A first pass through Chasm of Immurement suggests primitive death metal with a dollop of doom. “Eternal Blaze” opens the album with a bang that recalls Faceless Burial’s Speciation. After grabbing me by the anus, Clairvoyance maintains its hold by alternating between mid-range Obituary riffs and lurching Autopsy-style death-doom. These lowbrow highlights feel both as slimy and evolved as an amoeba. With both its riffs and its guitar tone, Chasm of Immurement leaves a palpable layer of grime that justifies multiple colonoscopies. “Blood Divine” emerges as a late gem through riffs that are gory enough to draw blood and enormous enough to evoke Immolation. This isn’t isolated to a subset of the tracks; throughout its runtime, Chasm of Immurement alternates between a sixteen-wheeler and a used minivan without dulling its fun.

On your fifth listen, Clairvoyance’s experimental bent comes into view. The same doomy riffs you’d heard before reveal spooky foreground melodies (“Reign of Silence”). The same track that you’d interpreted as a caveman ditty blossoms in baffling melodic directions in its second half (“Eternal Blaze”). The same song that introduced itself as by-the-books death metal culminates in a monstrous doomy climax (“Fleshmachine”). The same sections that you’d dismissed as repetitive transform into home bases for grimy excursions, interfering with your sleep schedule and your family obligations. Adorning hefty riffs with sinister melodies, Clairvoyance recalls both Lovecraft’s Azathoth and Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth. It took me a while to realize that I was doing Chasm of Immurement an injustice by pigeonholing it into old-school death metal. It is indeed that, but it’s so much more.

Clairvoyance’s varying ambitions both empower and dilute each other. Spanning 34 minutes across 6 tracks, Chasm of Immurement is a concise collection of lengthy tracks. Some of its pieces wander, especially at their simplest. For instance, despite being the second shortest track, “Blood Divine” feels lengthy because of its dearth of creative ideas. Similarly, the shortest song, “Eternal Blaze,” suffers from riffwork that’s decent but unimaginative, before eventually redeeming itself with more variety. Even so, these flubs are rare. The six-minute “Hymn of the Befouled” is the starkest counterexample, balancing length with girth by combining a vicious off-kilter main riff with melodic escapades that hold me rapt. Parts of Chasm of Immurement could do a better job of remaining engaging, but it’s hardly a fatal flaw.

Balancing thoughtful death metal and anti-intellectual death-doom, Clairvoyance’s debut is as weird as it is powerful. Neanderthals who need their fix should look here, as Chasm of Immurement’s crushing death metal riffs rival the best of old-school death metal. Conversely, fans of Morbid Angel’s wonkiness or Tomb Mold’s shapeshifting shenanigans will find just as much to love here. Chasm of Immurement is unlikely to dethrone Faithxtractor’s Loathing and the Noose atop my 2025 death metal ranking, as its occasional meandering loses my interest. But it’s a promising debut from a crew of talented Polish fiends.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/clairvoyancedeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #BrutalDeath #BrutalDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #ChasmOfImmurement #Clairvoyance #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #FacelessBurial #Immolation #Jul25 #MorbidAngel #Obituary #PolishMetal #ProgDeath #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #TombMold

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement Review

By Maddog

Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.

A first pass through Chasm of Immurement suggests primitive death metal with a dollop of doom. “Eternal Blaze” opens the album with a bang that recalls Faceless Burial’s Speciation. After grabbing me by the anus, Clairvoyance maintains its hold by alternating between mid-range Obituary riffs and lurching Autopsy-style death-doom. These lowbrow highlights feel both as slimy and evolved as an amoeba. With both its riffs and its guitar tone, Chasm of Immurement leaves a palpable layer of grime that justifies multiple colonoscopies. “Blood Divine” emerges as a late gem through riffs that are gory enough to draw blood and enormous enough to evoke Immolation. This isn’t isolated to a subset of the tracks; throughout its runtime, Chasm of Immurement alternates between a sixteen-wheeler and a used minivan without dulling its fun.

On your fifth listen, Clairvoyance’s experimental bent comes into view. The same doomy riffs you’d heard before reveal spooky foreground melodies (“Reign of Silence”). The same track that you’d interpreted as a caveman ditty blossoms in baffling melodic directions in its second half (“Eternal Blaze”). The same song that introduced itself as by-the-books death metal culminates in a monstrous doomy climax (“Fleshmachine”). The same sections that you’d dismissed as repetitive transform into home bases for grimy excursions, interfering with your sleep schedule and your family obligations. Adorning hefty riffs with sinister melodies, Clairvoyance recalls both Lovecraft’s Azathoth and Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth. It took me a while to realize that I was doing Chasm of Immurement an injustice by pigeonholing it into old-school death metal. It is indeed that, but it’s so much more.

Clairvoyance’s varying ambitions both empower and dilute each other. Spanning 34 minutes across 6 tracks, Chasm of Immurement is a concise collection of lengthy tracks. Some of its pieces wander, especially at their simplest. For instance, despite being the second shortest track, “Blood Divine” feels lengthy because of its dearth of creative ideas. Similarly, the shortest song, “Eternal Blaze,” suffers from riffwork that’s decent but unimaginative, before eventually redeeming itself with more variety. Even so, these flubs are rare. The six-minute “Hymn of the Befouled” is the starkest counterexample, balancing length with girth by combining a vicious off-kilter main riff with melodic escapades that hold me rapt. Parts of Chasm of Immurement could do a better job of remaining engaging, but it’s hardly a fatal flaw.

Balancing thoughtful death metal and anti-intellectual death-doom, Clairvoyance’s debut is as weird as it is powerful. Neanderthals who need their fix should look here, as Chasm of Immurement’s crushing death metal riffs rival the best of old-school death metal. Conversely, fans of Morbid Angel’s wonkiness or Tomb Mold’s shapeshifting shenanigans will find just as much to love here. Chasm of Immurement is unlikely to dethrone Faithxtractor’s Loathing and the Noose atop my 2025 death metal ranking, as its occasional meandering loses my interest. But it’s a promising debut from a crew of talented Polish fiends.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/clairvoyancedeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #BrutalDeath #BrutalDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #ChasmOfImmurement #Clairvoyance #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #FacelessBurial #Immolation #Jul25 #MorbidAngel #Obituary #PolishMetal #ProgDeath #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #TombMold

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement Review

By Maddog

Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.

A first pass through Chasm of Immurement suggests primitive death metal with a dollop of doom. “Eternal Blaze” opens the album with a bang that recalls Faceless Burial’s Speciation. After grabbing me by the anus, Clairvoyance maintains its hold by alternating between mid-range Obituary riffs and lurching Autopsy-style death-doom. These lowbrow highlights feel both as slimy and evolved as an amoeba. With both its riffs and its guitar tone, Chasm of Immurement leaves a palpable layer of grime that justifies multiple colonoscopies. “Blood Divine” emerges as a late gem through riffs that are gory enough to draw blood and enormous enough to evoke Immolation. This isn’t isolated to a subset of the tracks; throughout its runtime, Chasm of Immurement alternates between a sixteen-wheeler and a used minivan without dulling its fun.

On your fifth listen, Clairvoyance’s experimental bent comes into view. The same doomy riffs you’d heard before reveal spooky foreground melodies (“Reign of Silence”). The same track that you’d interpreted as a caveman ditty blossoms in baffling melodic directions in its second half (“Eternal Blaze”). The same song that introduced itself as by-the-books death metal culminates in a monstrous doomy climax (“Fleshmachine”). The same sections that you’d dismissed as repetitive transform into home bases for grimy excursions, interfering with your sleep schedule and your family obligations. Adorning hefty riffs with sinister melodies, Clairvoyance recalls both Lovecraft’s Azathoth and Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth. It took me a while to realize that I was doing Chasm of Immurement an injustice by pigeonholing it into old-school death metal. It is indeed that, but it’s so much more.

Clairvoyance’s varying ambitions both empower and dilute each other. Spanning 34 minutes across 6 tracks, Chasm of Immurement is a concise collection of lengthy tracks. Some of its pieces wander, especially at their simplest. For instance, despite being the second shortest track, “Blood Divine” feels lengthy because of its dearth of creative ideas. Similarly, the shortest song, “Eternal Blaze,” suffers from riffwork that’s decent but unimaginative, before eventually redeeming itself with more variety. Even so, these flubs are rare. The six-minute “Hymn of the Befouled” is the starkest counterexample, balancing length with girth by combining a vicious off-kilter main riff with melodic escapades that hold me rapt. Parts of Chasm of Immurement could do a better job of remaining engaging, but it’s hardly a fatal flaw.

Balancing thoughtful death metal and anti-intellectual death-doom, Clairvoyance’s debut is as weird as it is powerful. Neanderthals who need their fix should look here, as Chasm of Immurement’s crushing death metal riffs rival the best of old-school death metal. Conversely, fans of Morbid Angel’s wonkiness or Tomb Mold’s shapeshifting shenanigans will find just as much to love here. Chasm of Immurement is unlikely to dethrone Faithxtractor’s Loathing and the Noose atop my 2025 death metal ranking, as its occasional meandering loses my interest. But it’s a promising debut from a crew of talented Polish fiends.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/clairvoyancedeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #BrutalDeath #BrutalDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #ChasmOfImmurement #Clairvoyance #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #FacelessBurial #Immolation #Jul25 #MorbidAngel #Obituary #PolishMetal #ProgDeath #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #TombMold

Clairvoyance – Chasm of Immurement Review

By Maddog

Yes, I picked this up entirely because of its cover. Girardi’s gorgeous spiral of tombstones and skeletons conjures vintage highbrow death metal of the likes of Death. The title Chasm of Immurement grasps at brutal badassery in the vein of Suffocation’s Effigy of the Forgotten. Clairvoyance’s logo remains indecipherable even if you know the band’s name, suggesting kvltness galore. The promo materials describe lyrics that address the isolating effects of depression, foreshadowing a harrowing listen. In isolation, each of these judgments strikes at the truth but glances off. Chasm of Immurement is the debut album from Poland’s Clairvoyance, an unknown band comprising unknown musicians. Lying at the intersection of brainless death-doom and brainiac digressions, Chasm of Immurement is a powerful foray into death metal.

A first pass through Chasm of Immurement suggests primitive death metal with a dollop of doom. “Eternal Blaze” opens the album with a bang that recalls Faceless Burial’s Speciation. After grabbing me by the anus, Clairvoyance maintains its hold by alternating between mid-range Obituary riffs and lurching Autopsy-style death-doom. These lowbrow highlights feel both as slimy and evolved as an amoeba. With both its riffs and its guitar tone, Chasm of Immurement leaves a palpable layer of grime that justifies multiple colonoscopies. “Blood Divine” emerges as a late gem through riffs that are gory enough to draw blood and enormous enough to evoke Immolation. This isn’t isolated to a subset of the tracks; throughout its runtime, Chasm of Immurement alternates between a sixteen-wheeler and a used minivan without dulling its fun.

On your fifth listen, Clairvoyance’s experimental bent comes into view. The same doomy riffs you’d heard before reveal spooky foreground melodies (“Reign of Silence”). The same track that you’d interpreted as a caveman ditty blossoms in baffling melodic directions in its second half (“Eternal Blaze”). The same song that introduced itself as by-the-books death metal culminates in a monstrous doomy climax (“Fleshmachine”). The same sections that you’d dismissed as repetitive transform into home bases for grimy excursions, interfering with your sleep schedule and your family obligations. Adorning hefty riffs with sinister melodies, Clairvoyance recalls both Lovecraft’s Azathoth and Morbid Angel’s Trey Azagthoth. It took me a while to realize that I was doing Chasm of Immurement an injustice by pigeonholing it into old-school death metal. It is indeed that, but it’s so much more.

Clairvoyance’s varying ambitions both empower and dilute each other. Spanning 34 minutes across 6 tracks, Chasm of Immurement is a concise collection of lengthy tracks. Some of its pieces wander, especially at their simplest. For instance, despite being the second shortest track, “Blood Divine” feels lengthy because of its dearth of creative ideas. Similarly, the shortest song, “Eternal Blaze,” suffers from riffwork that’s decent but unimaginative, before eventually redeeming itself with more variety. Even so, these flubs are rare. The six-minute “Hymn of the Befouled” is the starkest counterexample, balancing length with girth by combining a vicious off-kilter main riff with melodic escapades that hold me rapt. Parts of Chasm of Immurement could do a better job of remaining engaging, but it’s hardly a fatal flaw.

Balancing thoughtful death metal and anti-intellectual death-doom, Clairvoyance’s debut is as weird as it is powerful. Neanderthals who need their fix should look here, as Chasm of Immurement’s crushing death metal riffs rival the best of old-school death metal. Conversely, fans of Morbid Angel’s wonkiness or Tomb Mold’s shapeshifting shenanigans will find just as much to love here. Chasm of Immurement is unlikely to dethrone Faithxtractor’s Loathing and the Noose atop my 2025 death metal ranking, as its occasional meandering loses my interest. But it’s a promising debut from a crew of talented Polish fiends.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/clairvoyancedeathmetal
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Autopsy #BrutalDeath #BrutalDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #ChasmOfImmurement #Clairvoyance #Death #DeathDoom #DeathMetal #DeathDoomMetal #FacelessBurial #Immolation #Jul25 #MorbidAngel #Obituary #PolishMetal #ProgDeath #ProgressiveDeath #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #Suffocation #TombMold

Vile Rites – Senescence Review

By Iceberg

I don’t often reach for OSDM revival promos, a genre I feel has been discovered, explored, conquered, and overrun. Fate had other things in mind for me, it seems when I found Vile Rites’ proper debut Senescence. Drawn to its label of “progressive death metal,” imagine my surprise when I found a sea of neo-OSDM lurking beneath. The Santa Rosa trio dipped their toes in the scene with 2022’s EP The Ageless and spent their time touring that record to perfect their coming-out opus, Senescence. As a member of the AMG Inc. Hydro Homies™, I’m duty-bound to snag any aquatic cover. So with Senescence in my icy grasp, I eagerly let the sounds of “Only Silence Follows” wash over me.

Vile Rites’ ability to seamlessly blend OSDM influences into their signature sound shows wisdom beyond the band’s years. You’ll find the foundational elements of Floridian Death Metal–Morbid Angel and Death chainsaw riffs and blistering backbeats–especially in the warm-up routine of opener “Only Silence Follows.” But as the album progresses Vile Rites stretch the edges of the music, toying with odd-time signature passages and whiplash tempo shifts that remind me of the proggier moments of Gorguts, or a less frenetic Faceless Burial (“Senescence,” “Shiftless Wanderings”). The trio is a favored format for this style of death metal, and Vile Rites use their limited lineup skillfully. Skinsman Aerie Johnson wears the OSDM and prog hats equally well, straddling the line somewhere between Richard Christie and Between The Buried And Me’s Blake Richardson. Bandleader, guitarist, and vocalist Alex Miletich excels on all three fronts, delivering a pleasantly discernible death roar, alongside notable solos that form the center of nearly every track here. Stephen Coon’s bass performance is magnificent, taking the lead on melodies as often as supporting the harmonic structure. The album’s eerie, watery quality is due in no small part to the work of a bass guitar tone drenched in springy reverb and muted blues.

The straightforward death metal material on Senescence is quite good, but the stranger Vile Rites gets, the better they get. Take, for instance, the recurring theremin-like synth waves, emerging from the inky blackness, threatening to overwhelm, before disappearing once again (“Only Silence Follows,” “Transcendent Putrefaction”). Or the lengthy middle section of “Transcendent Putrefaction” that suspends both momentum and harmony and just when it seems you’ve lost your way in the song, Johnson drops in on a swinging, shuffle groove that would be wildly out of place in lesser hands. Even the interlude, ever the albatross of albums, knows just how long to last with its gentle picked guitar and synths swirling amidst a summer storm (“Ephemeral Reverie of Eroded Dreams”). The band—along with that elegant cover, mysterious and melancholy—use atmosphere and smart, inventive riffcraft to drag the listener down, and the end result is impressive.

The more I listened to Senescence, the harder it was to find faults in its design. Longform closer “Banished To Solitude (Adrift On The Infinite Waves)” has plenty of high moments, from a nasty decelerator of a riff in it’s opening, to a menacing build-up just before the final chorus, and dueling bass and guitar solos to round out the album. I could nitpick and say that the outro drags on just a bit too long, and that the buildup, absolutely loaded with potential energy, meets its release just a few bars too early, but I’m really splitting hairs here. The one point I will level at the band is that I can’t help but feel that they’re hovering right on the precipice of a stellar album, but haven’t quite found it. This is a nebulous criticism that’s hard to quantify, but while everything is executed near-perfectly in these six tracks, very little left me awestruck, and I think Vile Rites has the tools to do just that.

Vile Rites have produced a debut album that comes so close to swatting the counter it hurts. Loaded with mind-bending stanky riffs, soaring solos, and glistening proggy diversions, Senescence is a must-listen for all fans of the OSDM revival movement. I think Vile Rites will find their path forward in the riches of “Banished To Solitude…” and a continued incursion into stranger, wilder sound worlds. Keep your eyes fixated on the movements of these Santa Rosa boys, a leviathan may be lurking in their future.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: vilerites.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/VileRites
Releases Worldwide: August 16th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #Aug24 #BetweenTheBuriedAndMe #BlackenedDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #Death #DeathMetal #FacelessBurial #Gorguts #MorbidAngel #ProgressiveDeathMetal #PsychedelicMetal #Review #Reviews #Senescence #VileRites

Vile Rites – Senescence Review

By Iceberg

I don’t often reach for OSDM revival promos, a genre I feel has been discovered, explored, conquered, and overrun. Fate had other things in mind for me, it seems when I found Vile Rites’ proper debut Senescence. Drawn to its label of “progressive death metal,” imagine my surprise when I found a sea of neo-OSDM lurking beneath. The Santa Rosa trio dipped their toes in the scene with 2022’s EP The Ageless and spent their time touring that record to perfect their coming-out opus, Senescence. As a member of the AMG Inc. Hydro Homies™, I’m duty-bound to snag any aquatic cover. So with Senescence in my icy grasp, I eagerly let the sounds of “Only Silence Follows” wash over me.

Vile Rites’ ability to seamlessly blend OSDM influences into their signature sound shows wisdom beyond the band’s years. You’ll find the foundational elements of Floridian Death Metal–Morbid Angel and Death chainsaw riffs and blistering backbeats–especially in the warm-up routine of opener “Only Silence Follows.” But as the album progresses Vile Rites stretch the edges of the music, toying with odd-time signature passages and whiplash tempo shifts that remind me of the proggier moments of Gorguts, or a less frenetic Faceless Burial (“Senescence,” “Shiftless Wanderings”). The trio is a favored format for this style of death metal, and Vile Rites use their limited lineup skillfully. Skinsman Aerie Johnson wears the OSDM and prog hats equally well, straddling the line somewhere between Richard Christie and Between The Buried And Me’s Blake Richardson. Bandleader, guitarist, and vocalist Alex Miletich excels on all three fronts, delivering a pleasantly discernible death roar, alongside notable solos that form the center of nearly every track here. Stephen Coon’s bass performance is magnificent, taking the lead on melodies as often as supporting the harmonic structure. The album’s eerie, watery quality is due in no small part to the work of a bass guitar tone drenched in springy reverb and muted blues.

The straightforward death metal material on Senescence is quite good, but the stranger Vile Rites gets, the better they get. Take, for instance, the recurring theremin-like synth waves, emerging from the inky blackness, threatening to overwhelm, before disappearing once again (“Only Silence Follows,” “Transcendent Putrefaction”). Or the lengthy middle section of “Transcendent Putrefaction” that suspends both momentum and harmony and just when it seems you’ve lost your way in the song, Johnson drops in on a swinging, shuffle groove that would be wildly out of place in lesser hands. Even the interlude, ever the albatross of albums, knows just how long to last with its gentle picked guitar and synths swirling amidst a summer storm (“Ephemeral Reverie of Eroded Dreams”). The band—along with that elegant cover, mysterious and melancholy—use atmosphere and smart, inventive riffcraft to drag the listener down, and the end result is impressive.

The more I listened to Senescence, the harder it was to find faults in its design. Longform closer “Banished To Solitude (Adrift On The Infinite Waves)” has plenty of high moments, from a nasty decelerator of a riff in it’s opening, to a menacing build-up just before the final chorus, and dueling bass and guitar solos to round out the album. I could nitpick and say that the outro drags on just a bit too long, and that the buildup, absolutely loaded with potential energy, meets its release just a few bars too early, but I’m really splitting hairs here. The one point I will level at the band is that I can’t help but feel that they’re hovering right on the precipice of a stellar album, but haven’t quite found it. This is a nebulous criticism that’s hard to quantify, but while everything is executed near-perfectly in these six tracks, very little left me awestruck, and I think Vile Rites has the tools to do just that.

Vile Rites have produced a debut album that comes so close to swatting the counter it hurts. Loaded with mind-bending stanky riffs, soaring solos, and glistening proggy diversions, Senescence is a must-listen for all fans of the OSDM revival movement. I think Vile Rites will find their path forward in the riches of “Banished To Solitude…” and a continued incursion into stranger, wilder sound worlds. Keep your eyes fixated on the movements of these Santa Rosa boys, a leviathan may be lurking in their future.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: vilerites.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/VileRites
Releases Worldwide: August 16th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #Aug24 #BetweenTheBuriedAndMe #BlackenedDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #Death #DeathMetal #FacelessBurial #Gorguts #MorbidAngel #ProgressiveDeathMetal #PsychedelicMetal #Review #Reviews #Senescence #VileRites

Vile Rites – Senescence Review

By Iceberg

I don’t often reach for OSDM revival promos, a genre I feel has been discovered, explored, conquered, and overrun. Fate had other things in mind for me, it seems when I found Vile Rites’ proper debut Senescence. Drawn to its label of “progressive death metal,” imagine my surprise when I found a sea of neo-OSDM lurking beneath. The Santa Rosa trio dipped their toes in the scene with 2022’s EP The Ageless and spent their time touring that record to perfect their coming-out opus, Senescence. As a member of the AMG Inc. Hydro Homies™, I’m duty-bound to snag any aquatic cover. So with Senescence in my icy grasp, I eagerly let the sounds of “Only Silence Follows” wash over me.

Vile Rites’ ability to seamlessly blend OSDM influences into their signature sound shows wisdom beyond the band’s years. You’ll find the foundational elements of Floridian Death Metal–Morbid Angel and Death chainsaw riffs and blistering backbeats–especially in the warm-up routine of opener “Only Silence Follows.” But as the album progresses Vile Rites stretch the edges of the music, toying with odd-time signature passages and whiplash tempo shifts that remind me of the proggier moments of Gorguts, or a less frenetic Faceless Burial (“Senescence,” “Shiftless Wanderings”). The trio is a favored format for this style of death metal, and Vile Rites use their limited lineup skillfully. Skinsman Aerie Johnson wears the OSDM and prog hats equally well, straddling the line somewhere between Richard Christie and Between The Buried And Me’s Blake Richardson. Bandleader, guitarist, and vocalist Alex Miletich excels on all three fronts, delivering a pleasantly discernible death roar, alongside notable solos that form the center of nearly every track here. Stephen Coon’s bass performance is magnificent, taking the lead on melodies as often as supporting the harmonic structure. The album’s eerie, watery quality is due in no small part to the work of a bass guitar tone drenched in springy reverb and muted blues.

The straightforward death metal material on Senescence is quite good, but the stranger Vile Rites gets, the better they get. Take, for instance, the recurring theremin-like synth waves, emerging from the inky blackness, threatening to overwhelm, before disappearing once again (“Only Silence Follows,” “Transcendent Putrefaction”). Or the lengthy middle section of “Transcendent Putrefaction” that suspends both momentum and harmony and just when it seems you’ve lost your way in the song, Johnson drops in on a swinging, shuffle groove that would be wildly out of place in lesser hands. Even the interlude, ever the albatross of albums, knows just how long to last with its gentle picked guitar and synths swirling amidst a summer storm (“Ephemeral Reverie of Eroded Dreams”). The band—along with that elegant cover, mysterious and melancholy—use atmosphere and smart, inventive riffcraft to drag the listener down, and the end result is impressive.

The more I listened to Senescence, the harder it was to find faults in its design. Longform closer “Banished To Solitude (Adrift On The Infinite Waves)” has plenty of high moments, from a nasty decelerator of a riff in it’s opening, to a menacing build-up just before the final chorus, and dueling bass and guitar solos to round out the album. I could nitpick and say that the outro drags on just a bit too long, and that the buildup, absolutely loaded with potential energy, meets its release just a few bars too early, but I’m really splitting hairs here. The one point I will level at the band is that I can’t help but feel that they’re hovering right on the precipice of a stellar album, but haven’t quite found it. This is a nebulous criticism that’s hard to quantify, but while everything is executed near-perfectly in these six tracks, very little left me awestruck, and I think Vile Rites has the tools to do just that.

Vile Rites have produced a debut album that comes so close to swatting the counter it hurts. Loaded with mind-bending stanky riffs, soaring solos, and glistening proggy diversions, Senescence is a must-listen for all fans of the OSDM revival movement. I think Vile Rites will find their path forward in the riches of “Banished To Solitude…” and a continued incursion into stranger, wilder sound worlds. Keep your eyes fixated on the movements of these Santa Rosa boys, a leviathan may be lurking in their future.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Carbonized Records
Websites: vilerites.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/VileRites
Releases Worldwide: August 16th, 2024

#2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #Aug24 #BetweenTheBuriedAndMe #BlackenedDeathMetal #CarbonizedRecords #Death #DeathMetal #FacelessBurial #Gorguts #MorbidAngel #ProgressiveDeathMetal #PsychedelicMetal #Review #Reviews #Senescence #VileRites