Tuesday 14 March 2023

Deus Vermin - MMXXII


Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 05 May 2022


Tracklist:


1. Mute

2. Vision

3. Coward

4. Harm


I came home from work today to find that the blog's hit a significant milestone. Said milestone is just a number though and it's not the reason I started the blog in the first place. The reason was because of bands like Deus Vermin. They're a band I've been lucky enough to see live on multiple occasions in Leeds and have always enjoyed greatly. Coming four years after their full-length Monument To Decay they released their latest EP MMXXII. I missed it on initial release but it's been on my list to write about for a little while now and I couldn't let it pass me by any longer.


Deus Vermin have always been about dark imagery and bleak heaviness (you only have to look at the artwork that adorns their releases). How such warm hearted souls can produce such music still dumbfounds me. EP opener ‘Mute’ heralds a step into more avant-garde territory for the band, amongst their already stellar blackened/death/post-metal sound. There’s nothing pretentious about the music though, just genuine progression that shows how strong they are as a musical collective.


‘Vision’ exemplifies what I’ve just said with a metallic/blasting approach that’s hard to shy away from. Like Eyeteeth in my last review, Deus Vermin are showing that the UK is very much a continual driving force when it comes to heavy music. The dynamics of intense percussion, thunderous bass, dark yet mesmerising guitar work and ice-laden vocals are brought to life via the recording of Deus Vermin’s CG and the mastering of Vagrant Studios.


This EP is one that dispenses with meandering songs and instead proves that less is more. ‘Coward’ is probably the closest DV come to truly blasting/slamming death metal and it’s the most exhilarating two minutes of extremity you’ll have heard for sometime. DV were one of four UK bands that appeared on the 2022 label sampler from India’s Transcending Obscurity Records (that featured 24 bands in total). I hope this means there’ll be a collaboration between both parties in the future.


EP closer ‘Harm’ lives up to it’s name perfectly, with a song that signals the intent of Deus Vermin going forward. A deathly, cold mix of extreme metal textures alongside an assured delivery that buries itself deep when listening. Even when the tempo slows, the atmosphere stays as dank and the focus remains as strong. With the strength of the current death metal community in the UK and the ever-upward growth of black metal too, Dues Vermin have set out a stall that’s gonna prove hard to shift. It’ll be very exciting to see what comes next.


You can stream and purchase 'MMXXII' as both a name your price download and also on tape (while copies of the second press are still available) below:-



Deus Vermin - https://www.facebook.com/DeusVermin

No comments:

Post a Comment