Review by Felix on May 10, 2019.

Friends of black metal from Suomi or, more generally speaking, supporters of good music can confirm that Behexen are not known for soft harmonies, but here they deliver their masterpiece in terms of raw brutality. The noisy production gives the six tracks an almost unbelievable portion of fiery destructiveness and impenetrable darkness. Although I wish I had the vinyl edition of this monster, I also like the CD, because the fact that the songs are not isolated strengthens the monolithic aura of the material. These 30 minutes and 28 seconds of pure violence lead directly to perdition. Wonderful!

I cannot say that I need a double album with this exclusively murderous, voluntarily limited approach, but half an hour of this utterly bestial black metal appears to me as a good format. How many drugs were necessary to reach this state of ecstasy? Due to an absolutely hateful mood, Behexen puke on the altar, on the cross and on the offertory. Yes, they work meticulously. But it's not so easy for me to do my own work appropriately. I cannot speak about details, because it's all just a gigantic lump of bloody meat that the Scandinavian heralds of the downfall throw into the audience. The group always celebrates a very special form of merciless aggression, but here the dudes reach a level which is second to none, a paradise for noise fetishists. And they keep this level during the entire playtime while spawning colossal monsters such as "Canto IV - Void...". Don't think it could be possible to identify significant differences between the single songs. The horror goes on and on and even the sacral intro of "Canto III - From the Devil's Chalice" does not bode well. Indeed, the song turns out to another hailstorm of musical barbarism. These dudes don't do things by halves.

The bone-chilling guitar sound makes it impossible to find the slightest elements of beauty. The band simply batters everything. Sometimes they are at risk to lose dynamic, because the lack of diversity leads to a nearly one-dimensional overall impression. No doubt, it's a pure sonic rape for everyone who is not used to listen to extreme music. But Behexen belong to the spearhead of black metal, not only in terms of Finland, but on a global scope. This means that they are able to intersperse a few characteristic guitar lines into the self-made inferno. Therefore, one has to listen very closely, but there is a minimum of variation. I realized it two seconds before the album made me deaf. Fortunately, my recovery is in progress... However, the diabolic voice, the devastating drums and the hellish guitars shape the material and make clear that this band is not interested in shaky compromises. Definitely not. So, I do not want to lose my hearing again and I also do not know what to say anymore. It's just a special experience to listen to these apocalyptic outbursts. I always enjoy the songs and afterwards, I must confess that I enjoy the peaceful silence as well.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on October 25, 2020.

Sorry, I’m dead. I was on my way home, everything seemed to be peaceful and I wanted to write just another little review. But all of a sudden, a massive rock with a weight of ten tons fell out of great heights and killed me. Tough luck, it had been nice to be part of the metal community.

…sorry once again, right now I have realized that I am still living. The massive rock that hit me was no rock, but Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize. This outburst of violence has the same effect. Vomitory, the epitome of furious Swedish death metal, dishes up an opener that seems to catapult the listener straight to his or her personal Armageddon. Of course, machine gun fire drums and a bomb carpet of guitars is nothing extraordinary in terms of pretty extreme death metal, but the material of Vomitory always seems to be more intensive than that of the myriads of their competitors, within and outside their death-affine home country. This is the first feature that distinguishes them from stylistically comparable gangs. The second one is their instinct for hellish harmonies which are created on the most brutal sounding guitars. Unfortunately, they are not generous with this feature on Terrorize Brutalize Victimize.

Of course, 'Scavenging the Slaughtered' combines the trademarks of the band very excitingly and it almost goes without saying that there are no rotten eggs among the ten pieces. Moreover, it is fun to realize the spiritual bond between Vomitory and Bolt Thrower which is brought to light by the first tones of 'March Into Oblivion'. They do not send greetings to the British legend for the first time, just remember 'Eternity Appears' from Blood Rapture. No doubt, if Jo Bench listens to this album while drinking her daily tea in the afternoon, she will realize her sympathy for “Terrorize Brutalize Don’t Tell Lies” very quickly. Yet still something is missing compared with their masterpieces from 1999, 2001 and 2002. The last ounce of compositional excellence is missing.

The sepulchral voice of Erik Rundqvist lacks diversity, but I don’t think that this is a problem for any true death metal maniac worldwide. Of higher relevance is that Vomitory always finds the perfect balance between technical precision and juvenile rumbling. Additionally, they profit from the full, direct and voluminous sound. I guess it is no surprise that the production of a more or less well known Swedish death metal horde does not lack power. However, this high-quality sound deserves to be mentioned.

Vomitory slice, hack and grind through the ten songs and while doing so, they show their integrity and conviction. No fan will be disappointed when listening to “Terrorize Brutalize in Your Holes I Push Some Mice”. The four-piece plays in its own league, a league that Grave and Entombed left after their debuts, a league that second tier bands like Entrails will never reach. Even a dragging and not overly thrilling piece like 'Whispers from the Dead' has more charm than comparable songs of the bands with a similar approach. And believe me, the corpses have to whisper pretty loudly in order to be heard during this celebration of elemental forces that Vomitory offer – especially during the following 'Heresy' and 'Flesh Passion'. They pummel the audience with an insane degree of brutality. Honestly speaking, I don’t like the genre-typical “aesthetics” which is reflected in the blood-soaked booklet, but I confirm that this kind of music justifies the visual concept to a certain extent. Thus, I recommend “Terrorize Brutalize Bloody Cries” and if the re-united dudes decide to record a new studio album, I will be back here – or I’m dead.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10