Vulgar Mephitis reached a milestone.
Following an EP and then a demo, the band composed of Dan Martin (guitar), Jay Schweinberg (bass), Nick Bentzel (drums), and Jacob Toy (vocals, Immortal Disfigurement, ex-Signs of the Swarm) has signed with Willowtip Records for the release of its debut album, From Dust.
Although considered an intro track, the title track From Dust hits hard with a blend of technical prowess and dissonant heaviness, as if the band wanted to warn us of the extreme brutality that strikes right from Martyr, the first track unveiled. We obviously find the pure Brutal Death touch here, but also an approach at times linked to Progressive Death Metal, creating an incredibly powerful blend that doesn’t hesitate to get a bit stranger at times, yet always returns to violence, as on the short Exterminating Profane, a track dedicated to pounding our eardrums. Once again, we’re subjected to the musicians’ repeated strikes and devastating palm-mutes, but the track quickly gives way to Peer Into the Abyss, where the deconstructed patterns return in full force, complemented by a healthy dose of mastery on each instrument, especially during the explosive harmonics. The sub-bass adds a real dose of extra, yet perfectly controlled, oppression just like the intro to Scorn Of My Flesh, which infuses the entire track with soaring, unexpected sounds amid waves of controlled rage. Everything about this track screams “neck-breaking,” and the same goes for Gorging Greed, which strings together frenzied mosh parts while the vocalist bellows under the repeated assaults of his bandmates, maintaining the old-school vibe on this track as well as on To Dust, the next track that takes over and hits us right in the face in waves. The track eventually slows down to return to its signature dissonance before giving way to the extended finale, followed by Wounds, the album’s longest and final track, which piles on displays of violence, but also and above all mastery, before leaving us with a long, mystical, almost ritualistic final composed of a few keyboards and vocals that lead us into silence.
Although a bit short, From Dust knows exactly where to strike to hurt, both in terms of raw violence and technical prowess, and it does so effectively. Vulgar Mephitis is not a band to be taken lightly; mosh enthusiasts and technical fans will be in heaven, though not for the same reasons.
80/100
