This is the third album from blackened death metallers Whore of Bethlehem.
Recommended for fans of Morbid Angel, Deicide, Devangelic, and Oath of Damnation by the promo blurb, this sets an appropriately brutal scene for Ritual of Homicide. I’ll also throw in references to acts such as Belphegor, Dark Funeral, Suffocation, Krisiun, and Altars Ablaze for good measure.
Across 35 minutes, (or 38 with the bonus track), Whore of Bethlehem play the sort of vicious blackened death metal that so enamoured me with them on their 2014 debut record Upon Judas’ Throne. It’s now six years later, so it’s great to have some new material from Whore of Bethlehem.
Saturated in blackened darkness and bursting with crushing brutality, these new songs terrorise and rampage across the album’s playing time with gratuitous abandon. There’s a malevolent atmospheric side to the band’s music that complements their ruthless aggression well. The songs tear through their running time with daemonic energy and belligerent attitude, but still make the effort to weave dark blackened moods and macabre auras when the demand is there.
This is well-written death metal that has a blackened veneer that covers the material like a sheet of viscous tar-like ice. Ritual of Homicide is a storm of infernal violence that hits hard and does not stop until you’re left a messy stain on the ravaged ground. It’s not a one-dimensional blastfest though, as Whore of Bethlehem, for all their blatant brutality, are more refined than that, offering a range of grisly ways to have your face stripped of skin.
Full of catchy riffs that slither into your mind as they also bludgeon your skull, Ritual of Homicide is the quality Whore of Bethlehem release that I was waiting for.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 