Vorum

Though Finnish death metal band Vorum have been together since 2006, Poisoned Void is their first full-length, following the Grim Death Awaits EP in 2009 and the Profane Limbs of Ruinous Death split they did with Vasaeleth in 2010. Poisoned Void makes good on the promise of a thick, palpable foulness their earlier material hinted at; the atmosphere of this record is all about murk, density and viscosity. The pace is unrelenting, from the battering drums to the angry, hornet-swarming guitars, all smothered in fat, dank distortion. The tone has an almost sumptuous violence to the texture, like being hit by heavy leather with some proper muscle behind it. "Thriving Darkness" has a sinister, writhing quality to it that makes it a highlight, and the titular track is fierce enough to raise welts. While the sheer thickness of the tone can be smothering now and again, this is nonetheless an extremely promising piece of classic death metal delivered with a sadistic streak.