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Vrenth – Succumb To Chaos

vrenth – succumb to chaos

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On the band’s previous release, the split LP with Depraver, Vrenth surprised me with their take on Death Metal that both had a distinct oppressive sound as well as slight hints of Black Metal. The latter was further underlined by the well-executed Enthroned cover, something that was not really in line with expectations, but clearly illustrates the broader musical spectrum from which the band draw their inspiration. I was therefore curious to see what would be left of this musical clash on the new album, released last autumn in the form of ‘Succumb To Chaos’.

However, the answer to that question is not so straightforward. What is first noticeable is that the somewhat muddy and muffled sound of the recordings on the split LP has not returned on this album. Instead, it sounds a lot brighter, saying goodbye to the slightly ‘cavernous’ sound in favour of a more Old School feel. In the process, the Black Metal part is also hard to detect anymore, here and there you can still notice a bit of guitar that still reflects an echo of Black Metal, but it is definitely good to declare that ‘Succumb To Chaos’ has become a pure Death Metal album.

The riffs are heavy and unwieldy, with the drums bringing a remarkable and refreshing dynamic. This is definitely not one-dimensional Death Metal where the emphasis is on the lower regions of the speedometer, they regularly kick the accelerator nicely, making the slower pieces a lot more effective as well. The sporadic guitar leads are good for an extra portion of variation. On the other hand, it is also impossible to argue that ‘Succumb To Chaos’ really has anything new to offer, not in terms of originality but certainly not in terms of songwriting or quality either. Not that that’s a problem now, because when it’s all executed well, and that’s undeniably the case here, it’s also just fine.

The album rolls along nicely and does not bore at any point, although the 40-minute running time could certainly have been shortened. So, if you like not too complicated Death Metal, you can’t go wrong with this album, released by Rotted Life Records on vinyl, cassette tape and CD. Fans know where to turn.

Rotted Life Records

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