Bring out the barf bags, because Vomitory is back! The latest album In Death Throes arrives after the comeback album All Heads Are Gonna Roll reanimated the band’s studio career in 2023. It is also the tenth release of the Swedish death metal machine. Christian Fredriksson replaces veteran Peter Östlund on guitar and adds a new (though equally bearded and long-haired) face to a line-up that has not changed since 2005. I am curious to see how that has impacted the sound.
Since 1989, Vomitory has occupied itself with a blistering and tightly performed brand of death metal with lyrics that could fill the drains of a slaughterhouse. With albums such as Carnage Euphoria, Primal Massacre, and my personal favourite Blood Rapture it’s clear what the guys from Vomitory are into. Violence, blood, blast beats, and, if possible, raising a middle finger to the man on the cross. In Death Throes is no different. That means that fans better brace themselves and that sceptics certainly will not be convinced.
The album kicks off strong with Rapture In Rupture combining rabid riffs with chugging triplets on the guitar. No intro, no warm-up, just a dry hammer straight into the skull. For Gore And Country is sure to be a crowd-pleaser in the live context with its thrashing midtempo riffs which makes heads nod and start mosh pits. I can already feel the cups of beer fly over my head while I wonder whose shoe just flew past my head. The song ends with a deliciously heavy breakdown, the kind that makes your face change as if you just smelled the album cover.
I cannot tell much difference in sound to what came previously for Vomitory, despite the new band member. In a way, that is good news. It’s not that I hoped for progressive guitar lines or something of the sort, but I think many fans would not notice anything different. Besides that, I am not a fan of Erik Rundqvist’s vocals this time around. Now, the man has never been a versatile vocalist, but it seems as if the years of touring have eroded that rough edge from his voice. What remains is a quite heavyhanded cookie monster imitation, lacking in both presence and character. He goes quite low, but that is all there is to it. His vocals are quite present in the mix as well, which does not help things. The production is tight and a little clean, although this suits the tightness of the band. This is a clear injection of pure death metal, without any cloudiness.
Time to wake up! I can feel the mosh pit calling again with the rousing d-beat rhythms of Two and a Half Men. The band manages to retain the listener’s attention for the first time since the beginning of the album. The brutal beginning of Erased In Red calls for headbanging, although I lose my way in the rest of the song. The album often sinks into monotony and I frequently tune out during the closer Oblivion Protocol.
It is Vomitory. Blindingly fast, tight as hell, intense, but not as consistent this time. In Death Throes has a few highlights, but it lacks staying power. There are songs which are sure to be permanent fixtures on the band’s live setlist, like Rapture In Rupture and For Gore And Country, but in individual moments the album offers little reason for repeat listens. Consider it a finely tuned drill straight into one ear and out the other. For many fans of the band that might be exactly what they hoped for. It is monotonous, but if you like the sound of that note, that might not be bad news. As for me, I feel this carcass could be laid out a bit more, especially concerning the vocal organs.
Score:
65/100
Label:
Metal Blade Records, 2026
Tracklisting:
- Rapture In Rupture
- For Gore And Country
- Forever Scorned
- Wrath Unbound
- In Death Throes
- Cataclysmic Fleshfront
- Two And A Half Men
- Erased In Red
- The Zombie War General
- Oblivion Protocol
Line-up:
- Tobias Gustafsson – Drums
- Urban Gustafsson – Guitar
- Erik Rundqvist – Bass, vocals
- Christian Fredriksson – Guitar
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