The Death Metal duo known as Chasmdweller keep a pleasant pace of work. The Toronto, Canada-based band releases their first recording of the year with ‘Blood Vortex’, marking the latest chapter in their already pretty impressive discography.
Musically, they have not radically changed course from their previous work, but it is also clear that the band is not sitting still and is undergoing some development. If we compare ‘Blood Vortex’ to its predecessor, it can be seen that the slight monotony has continued. This new album is a succession of mid-tempo chugging riffs, thundering drums and inhumanly deep grunts. That, in itself, is no innovation, not in general, but certainly not for Chasmdweller either. In fact, it is this Canadian duo’s trademark. However, this musical concept has been taken even further, with riffs that are even heavier than Ricki Lake. The upside of all this is that the vortex of the album is indeed all the more bloodthirsty, but there is also a side note to be made. Although Chasmdweller has never won the top prizes in the versatility category already, the proportion of one-dimensionalism in the music has grown further. With a playing time of around almost three quarters of an hour anyway, it feels like it’s all a bit too much of a good thing. A little more variety (or a shorter playing time) would certainly be welcome, the sporadic screech or the even further lowering of the tempo is certainly not enough to achieve that versatility.
While certainly not bad, ‘Blood Vortex’ does feel like an acrobatics act on a thin tightrope where it barely manages to keep itself balanced. Their brand of Death Metal is simple but effective, but to really rise above the pack, they need to offer a little more than just Ricki Lake riffs.
