VOMITORY

It sometimes seems to me that Sweden's VOMITORY is one of those bands that has periodically released albums that always mark a proud continuation of the early (and quality) Swedish death metal sound. Then they kind of disappear for a while (in part because they've not toured North America, this year's Maryland Deathfest marking their stateside debut). I've not thought about 2004's "Primal Massacre" for quite some time for the same reason, even though it was a solid slab of down, dirty, and crunchy death metal. Well, I'm here to tell you that "Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize" is one of the best pure death metal releases of 2007 and it's high time that VOMITORY gets mentioned in the same breath as bands like DISMEMBER.

The album marks the entry of guitarist Peter Ostlund (also of THE LAW) who replaces long-time axe man Ulf Dalegren. Whether the injection of new blood has anything to do with the excellence achieved on "Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize", I have no idea. But the fact remains that VOMITORY has raised its game substantially with an album that is every bit as heavy as anything they've ever released, yet with a noticeable improvement in songwriting and arrangement variation. The speed and primal aggression continues to define the VOMITORY approach on the album, as the vast majority of these songs are fast as hell and brutal beyond belief (check out "Eternal Trail of Corpses", "Scavenging the Slaughtered", and the violent "March into Oblivion"). However, the boys have put a few more twists and turns into several of the tracks. The title track offers a mid-paced (well, relatively) verse and a fast and furious chorus that sounds more like a statement of malicious intent than a mere refrain. And my god, there is a swinging thrash riff/beat mixed with the straight-ahead crush on "The Burning Black" that is guaranteed to whip you into a metallic frenzy. A similar vibe can be gotten from "Defiled and Inferior" as well (the breakdown is monstrous). "Whispers from the Dead" sees the band slowing the pace considerably, offering a sickening and rather tuneful chorus that works well to break up the relentless speed of the tracks that come before and after.

Finally, the disc also marks the first album in a long while that the band has not gone with producer Henrik Larsson, instead utilizing the talents of Rikard Lofgren. The engineer/producer has given VOMITORY a sound to die for: loads of crunch, audible bass rumbling, and a crackling drum sound. It is the icing on the cake to a ferocious death metal album. If you are able to buy only two death metal albums this year, then grab VITAL REMAINS' "Icons of Evil" and VOMITORY's "Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize".