This is the second album from Soulrot, a death metal band from Chile.
I enjoyed 2017’s Nameless Hideous Manifestations, which was a solid slab of underground Swedish-influenced old-school death metal. Boasting 40 minutes of material, what does Victims of Spiritual Warfare hold for us?
Well, for a start, the Soulrot of 2020 is a rawer, harsher beast. The tracks on this album combine brutally fast grinding feral savagery with occasional slower, doom-laden crushing dirges, resulting in music that is crunchy and barbed. The songs are mostly short and belligerent. The fast parts have a clear grindcore influence, which lends them an increased ferocity in places. When Soulrot do slow down they pile on the heavy riffs and macabre melodies, before inevitably letting loose again with frenzied speedy aggression.
Enhanced by Swedish-style heaviness, (the band have obviously been stockpiling chainsaws, and even have a song named Chainsaw Worship Hymn), this is an entertaining and enjoyable no-frills collection of foul, ugly tracks. The commitment and passion of Soulrot to old-school death metal and grind is commendable and clear, and Victims of Spiritual Warfare is another solid slab of nastiness from the band.
A recommended listen for devotees of the underground.
