Invictus Productions, in collaboration with Dark Descent Records, have just unleashed a new split released between German Black/Death quartet Omegavortex and blasphemous occult obsessed Texan four piece Pious Levus. Omegavortex come into this split off of the back of a 2020 debut album entitled ‘Black Abomination Spawn’ whilst Pious Levus released the ‘Bolt of Satanic Might’ EP back in 2019.
The ruthlessly chaotic Omegavortex kick the split off with ‘Mutilation Paradise’, a song that for the most part eschews rhythm for blazing raging insanity. Omegavortex don’t so much as use guitar leads, more like the pummelling bat shit crazy drumming grabs the guitars and the bass by the nose and drags them to where it wants them to be. Included in this maelstrom of carnage are short cohesive bouts of groove laden riffs but these are fighting a losing battle between a war for supremacy between bludgeoning drum tones, wildly erratic guitar solos and barbaric, urgent growling and roaring vocals. It isn’t until the third track. ‘Babalon Working’, that order is somewhat restored, but this is merely a short respite as the howling, swirling visceral miasma of scorching riffs, frenetic drums, and esurient vocals soon latches their primordial hooks back in and gives the release another earth jolting shake. Fuck knows if I like this or not, I’m almost too scared to say!
Pious Levus are no less aggressive but lack a little of the former bands chaotic tendencies, making for a far more cohesive listening experience. That isn’t to say that the bands sound lacks fire, and the unrelenting beats from the sticksman revel in their antagonism whilst psychotic dangerous sounding guitar leads twist and churn throughout. The old school Death Metal grunts and grumbles from the vocalist only add to the bands unapproachable aura.
Whilst this split release isn’t an easy listening experience, far from it in fact, I’d highly recommend listening anyway for Omegavortex and their sheer brutal schizophrenic sound, and Pious Levus for their belligerent attitude and hostile sounding tunes! (Marksson)
