Viscera/// are an Italian experimental post-metal band and this is their third album.
The tag post-metal can mean almost anything at this stage in the game, and on 3: Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals, Viscera/// show that they can pull off almost any style you want to name under its protective aegis.
In simple terms, I suppose, the band play psychedelic post-metal with extra helpings of blackened sludge.
The music is heavy and full of substance, weaving psychedelia in with weighty slabs of simple heaviness. A modern black metal influence can be felt on the songs, usually mixed in with dark sludge, technical doom and roaring metal.
The songs are long and allow the band full exploratory rights to the musical landscape. Across the tracks the band delve into most types of extreme music, from doom to sludge metal to blackened chaos and intense blast beats. You name it, it’s probably on here somewhere. Viscera/// take an obvious relish in creating music that has a layered depth to it, one that compels you to take the time to explore and dive deeply into.
Viscera/// excel at the creation of dark atmospheres too, so don’t think it’s all about savage complexity and intricate harshness. Even when they’re playing in full fiery flow they still manage to have an emotive side to them, and when they stop to really develop this, it’s even more effective.
Yes, 3: Release Yourself Through Desperate Rituals is a heady, slightly unusual mix, especially when written down like this. The band hold everything together well though, and the various styles used throughout the album never feel disjointed or out of place; here’s a band that make their influences work for them, producing long, engaging songs that have a lot of content with which to ensnare the listener’s attentions.
Nasty, snarling screams tear out form the music like they’re clawing their way into reality. Their singer really does have a feral scream that I can’t quite get enough of. Other vocals appear, (there are quite a few guests on this release), cleans for example; although they’re performed well, it’s the main singer’s screams that really get into my head.
Think a complex, disturbed mix of Thou, Rorcal, Knut, Johnny Truant, Zao and Neurosis. Think this, and be happy, as Viscera/// know how to write good music.
I enjoyed Viscera/// on their split with Fleshworld and Gazers, but this album is in another league entirely.
The third album from Viscera/// is an extremely impressive and enjoyable listen. With variety, depth and a comprehensive tour of the extreme metal landscape, this is an album that’ll be ruling my playlists for quite some time to come.
An essential listen for fans of underground hostility.
