Four years ago we had the honor to review 2019’s B*stard Grave’s “Diorama of Human Suffering,” an album that I have to say that really impressed the hell out of me. Of course, four years and zillion Extreme Metal bands later the impression dimished a little. The truth is that “Vortex of Disgust” is pretty different from its predecessor. There aren’t those vortexes – no pun intended – of speed and velocity. Here the band is slower, as a matter of speaking. They are much more cadenced and careful about the heavyness of the album. Well, “Vortex of Disgust” is heavier than hell with the combinations the band opted here. Sometimes as in “Nameless Horror” where vocals sound straight from the seven depths of hell with a caverbous voice that may make the fans hair gray before the time – well, for some, mine are a little grey now. From where I’m standing it’s really healthy for a band to try different textures from album to album. Maybe, just maybe, on the other this change diluted the band’s personality a little. There are guitar passages as in “Hunger to Devour” that sound a little bit standard. However, the same doesn’t happen to following and tittle track “Vortex of Disgust,” by the way, how a vortex of disgust would be.
It’s clear to me, and I have said that some times here, it’s impossible to bands to release a groundbreaking album all the time. Creativity doesn’t happens this way. I guess nobody really knows exactly how it works. We got some clues, but no certanties at all. Some tracks as album welcomer “Sunder the Earth” and the grand finale and tittle track “Vortex of Disgust” are points out of the curve inside Death Metal.
I guess maybe the problem is that it’s harder to impress me these days after all those four years of incredible Extreme Metal bands. I remember to get very impressed with their previous album as I said in the beginning. “Vortex of Disgust” is a muscular album with the cited heavyness. But comparing to “Diorama of Human Suffering” it lacks something.
B*stard Grave “Vortex of Disgust” will be released on March 10th via Pulverised Records.
Track Listing:
- Sunder the Earth
- Icon Bearer
- Necrotic Ecstasy
- Consumed and Forgotten
- Nameless Horror
- Hunger to Devour
- Eternal Decomposition
- Vortex of Disgust
Watch “Necrotic Ecstasy” official music video here:
