Vomitory - Official Website - Interview


Terrorize Brutalize Sodomize

Sweden Country of Origin: Sweden

1. Eternal Trail Of Corpses
2. Scavenging The Slaughtered
4. The Burning Black
5. Defiled And Inferior
6. March Into Oblivion
7. Whispers From The Dead
8. Heresy
9. Flesh Passion
10. Cremation Ceremony


Review by Carl on November 7, 2021.

The long-awaited return of the man who also brought you Viral Load and Insidious Decrepancy, and I am glad that he is back. I don't know if this is to be viewed as a solo career, or if this is a project bearing his name, kinda like King Diamond (the band)? Not that it matters that much, really. His most welcome return to the limelight does not disappoint in any way in my humble opinion.

Just like Insidious Decrepancy wasn't exactly like Viral Load, so is The Sickness Singularity not exactly like those bands. The DNA of both Insidious Decrepancy and later Viral Load run through this EP in the form of the recognizable guttural vocals, the boxy drum machine and the well-executed riffing, but the songs are more varied than before. There are still the familiar elements like the blasts and the occasional slam, but there are more old school death metal elements interwoven in the music as before. The riffing reminds me of Death's "Human" and Pestilence's "Testimony Of The Ancients" at times, and the way the songs are structured give me a Carcass "Heartwork" vibe but seen through a US brutal death metal lens. Added to this are the blackened death metal parts where the spirit of Belphegor, Dargonomel and Behemoth are not too far off, like in 'Withdrawals' or 'Toil', and it must be noted that this is a very refreshing approach to the style. There is a lot of variation in tempo within the individual tracks and together with the great riffing this creates a collection of memorable songs that sound both familiar as well as surprising at times.

The guitar sound is pretty cool, and the sound mix is very well balanced, with all instrumentation clearly audible, even if a tad more bass wouldn't have hurt. There's also the return of Shawn's trusty boxy sounding drum-machine, a feat I have become used to through the years, but a more natural sound wouldn't hurt though. Apart from these little tiffs, I am chuffed that the man is back with a cool EP like this.

Does it have to be stated that this comes recommended for fans of both his previous incarnations? Not only them, but all who are into well played death metal with elements of both brutal and blackened death should give this a chance too. I'd even go one further and say that this is also worth checking out for Behemoth fans who have become disillusioned by that band's last few albums.

This is a most welcome return, glad to see and hear you again, Shawn.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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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

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