September 2024 - Featured Release - The Horde Edition

How is it going, fellas? September has come, and thus the legions of The Horde find themselves starving for some fresh meat to dig their orcish teeth into. This time, I have the honor to be their quartermaster, so I've striven to choose a fine cut in the latest full-length from Oregon's old-school death metallers Witch Vomit—“Funeral Sanctum”.

The album displays the band's aptitude for subtle melodicism (think early Dismember), with hints of a beautiful cavernous atmosphere (Incantation, Autopsy). Lately, I've been getting a lot of enjoyment out of this record, and I believe it has a lot to offer for The Horde members, so dive right in!

https://metal.academy/releases/51212

Here's my review:

I’ve been a fan of Portland-based death metallers Witch Vomit for around eight years now after they first came to my attention through their 2016 “A Scream From The Tomb Below” EP. I’ve followed each release with interest ever since that initial experience so Karl’s selection of their brand-new third album “Funeral Sanctum” as our September feature release was quite welcome for me personally, particularly as I was still yet to get to it of my own accord. These old-school-obsessed Americans had been building nicely over the course of their last few releases which gave me the impression that a serious record might be just around the corner so I went into this week with some level of anticipation. I’m not sure that “Funeral Sanctum” has delivered that but it’s still another highly enjoyable release that I can see myself returning to quite often.

If you’re looking for the next big thing in metal then Witch Vomit aren’t gonna tick that box. You see, these four dudes indulge themselves in an unapologetic celebration of the past on their latest offering with their sound showcasing the influence of the greats of the early 90’s US scene. You’ll likely be able to detect elements of graveyard-inspired bands like Incantation & Autopsy in their sound, not to mention a bit of Morbid Angel in the riff structures & lead guitar solos, so Witch Vomit are unlikely to surprise you with a fresh new take on extreme metal. However, they clearly possess a strong pedigree in the genre & maintain a strong understanding of what’s given it such a lasting appeal with so many of us.

The production job is well balanced, offering a nice combination of grimy zombification & modern clarity that recoils from any tendency to get too clinical. I think this helps Witch Vomit’s cause quite a bit actually as it gives them an added layer of authenticity that I find quite appealing. The musicianship isn’t the tightest either but neither does it need to be to create a soundscape that’s suitable for summoning the dead to rise from their tombs. I will admit though that the drumming of Vincent Van Dell (Hemorrhoid/Nekrofilth) is a bit too loose for my liking, particularly during his blast-beats when he often struggles for timing which is a fairly major bug bear of mine. Although this failing does taint the record a little, I don’t think it’s had enough of an impact to see me dropping my rating so I guess there’s not much harm done in the grand scheme of things.

The tracklisting is generally pretty consistent with all ten tracks included offering me some level of enjoyment. None of them are undeniable classics though which leaves me with the feeling that Witch Vomit belong purely in the second tier of the death metal landscape. The middle of the album is arguably its strongest section with the three track run of “Serpentine Shadows”, “Decaying Angelic Flesh” & “Black Wings of Desolation” (my personal favourite) floating my boat the most. There are a few traces of a newly incorporated melodic sound to be found here (particularly on “Blood of Abomination”) & I’d suggest that these moments (perhaps unsurprisingly) offer me the least appeal on the album. The stronger material definitely comes when Witch Vomit commit to laying down their darker tremolo-picked death metal riffs with the deep growls of guitarist Tony Thomas proving to be a more than suitable protagonist in this imposing collection of extreme metal.

Look, Witch Vomit certainly don’t attempt to reinvent the wheel in any way, shape or form but there’s something to be said for an act than can so accurately reenact the feelings I cherished so much as a young fella & these four dudes do it better than most. I’m not sure that “Funeral Sanctum” sees the band reaching a new level by taking the next logical step up the death metal ladder though. In fact, I’m not sure I enjoy it quite as much as Witch Vomit’s last few releases if I’m being honest but it’s still a highly enjoyable display of evil intent & I can’t see too many of our The Horde members struggling to connect with it.

For fans of Mortuous, Torture Rack & Vastum.

4/5

Now, I have never been one to judge an album by its cover, but one look at the name "Witch Vomit" and I was less than surprised when I heard Funeral Sanctum. It almost sounds like a fake name; perhaps even A.I. generated to sound brutal, but when spoken aloud just sounds fucking stupid.

Apologies for the tangent, but I just don't think that the band name should be ignored in this case. Especially when you consider the content of what's found inside Funeral Sanctum as a fairly straightforward approach to old school death metal. I enjoyed the instrumental production since it expands the individual songs and their diverse textures and flows. About half of this record has solid hooks and riffs and decent song composition, but another half of the album just feels like inconsequential riff fests. The vocals are also a fairly mute point since they return to Cookie Monster delivery, leaving the content severely lacking. The percussion is solid most of the time, but the way in which the kick drum is mixed leaves it sounding like the album is constantly slowing down. And the record holds its best moments during the first half of the recording and I start to notice sizeable dropoffs in quality in the back half, which are not helped at all by the two interlude tracks "Endarkened Spirits" and "Abject Silence (Interlude)" one after the other. And just to add icing to the cake, Funeral Sanctum is produced through 20 Buck Spin records.

I do not really resonate with old school death metal as much as other MA contributors do, but I can appreciate Funeral Sanctum for a decent, if not patchy mix, decent songwriting and a punchy runtime, making it so the relentless death metal does not become overwhelming. But as an enjoyer of the melodic side of the genre, Funeral Sanctum is missing many of the key aspects that make a death metal album great. It just isn't for me.

3/5