Review by Sam on February 10, 2026.

Is that 1992 Glen Benton’s bass guitar churning beneath the surface of this death metal assault, complete with modern production? Imagine if "Legion", with its infamously quirky production job, was given a modernized treatment, and that may well be the best way to describe what we have here from Virulence of sunny Tampa on this five-song debut EP. In fact, this mini-album falls only eight minutes short of the total run time of Deicide’s opus magnum.

Frontman Chris Defaut has two types of vocalizations on offer here. The deep gutturals do closely resemble those of Uncle Glen, but he also uses a higher register rasp for contrast. While this is a cool vocal dynamic, the low, old-school death growls are far more effective as far as I’m concerned. That bass, though, played by Kevin Gibbons, is remarkable in how similar it sounds to "Legion", and that’s one of the most iconic bass tones to be found in death metal. Gibbons is an adventurous bassist who is unafraid to explore the fretboard. Fourth track 'Behold The Bloodshed' is a prime example of this beautiful bass, and it would be my pick for the best of these five songs.

Drummer Mike Petrak can blast right along with the legendary Steve Asheim, and his double bassing and fills are definitely on the level. There are multiple instances throughout the record where his fills cascade masterfully over the toms. The guys also play a lot in the 6/8 meter, which always kicks ass over the top of crushing double bass. The second song, 'Cleansed Through Decay', is a great illustration of the feeling of triumph that this time signature has the ability to convey. This tune also has a bit where the 32nd notes are played in double time, so I guess that would be 64th notes on the bass drums, which boggles the mind.

This is definitely Defaut’s band, as he is the frontispiece, lyricist, and I would not be surprised one bit if it’s him playing the leads on this EP, which are quite shreddy and melodic, especially on the title track. The lyrical content is what I would call post-apocalyptic pessimist, and this is more than appropriate for the all-out aggression of this quartet. These dudes are currently on tour with Skeletal Remains and have a full-length in the works that could see a release date for later this year.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Ravaged and Maimed Worlds