Incessant Affliction: A Brutal Death Metal Odyssey
Vertiginous, an Indonesian duo, has unleashed their sophomore album, Incessant Affliction, upon the world of brutal death metal. This album is a relentless assault on the senses, leaving listeners battered and bruised, yet somehow yearning for more. The question remains: is this a recipe for an infectiously good time, or a recipe for collective despair?
Vertiginous, like many in the genre, keeps it simple. The album is a teeth-rattling clatter, a relentless pounding that induces merciless pulverization. The opener, "Suffering, Misery, and Slaughtering," surges forth with tortured vocals, flurries of snare abuse, and lawless stringed onslaught, setting the stage for the album's violent incursion. Each track roils with the seething intensity of touchstone titans, and the production pushes everything to the fore, creating a calculated bludgeon rather than a glossy or careless mix.
However, the lack of diversity between songs becomes a problem. The album is a continuous barrage of brutal death metal, with little respite. The songs blend together, and the listener is left with a sense of sameness. The album is only 30 minutes long, yet there's no peak or passage that sticks with the listener after "Unclear Misery" fades into the ether.
Vertiginous could stand to add some diversity to the album, but they do make some mouthwatering choices. The performances are satisfying, with Bima's frog-stomping gutturals churning guts and bowels with seismic malevolence, and Prasetyo's clangorous drumming. The guitars are suitably chaotic and deadly, although a more focused effort on riff development would go a long way towards solidifying identities for individual songs.
Despite the knocks against Incessant Affliction when evaluated as a whole, taken a song at a time, Vertiginous supplies killer tricks sopping with venomous barbs. The album is a potent batch of death metal, and while it doesn't prove as contagious as hoped, it's still a disease worth catching. The band's brand of unrestrained brutality is a force to be reckoned with, and I'm curious to see what they cook up next.
