This is the second album from US death metallers Vitriol.
After enjoying Vitriol’s vicious assault live a few years ago I was left with the favourable impression of Hate Eternal/Nile-esque death metal fury, so I’m glad to be finally hearing one of their albums; it’s time to find out if these musical comparisons are appropriate or not.
Well, as a starting point, Hate Eternal and Nile will give you a decent idea of what to expect on Suffer & Become. Alongside this, you can also detect elements of bands such as Morbid Angel, Cattle Decapitation, Krisiun, Origin, and Anaal Nathrakh, further adding to the music’s layers of intensity. Vitriol carve their own path through the death metal landscape though, and have forged their own personality that’s abrasive and merciless.
This is brutally aggressive music that’s sharply delivered and technically impressive. It also boasts dual vocals that sound far more ferocious than the average, which is most agreeable. Vitriol’s core brutality is enhanced by subtle atmospheric highlights and blistering melodic streaks that frequently sound quite otherworldly, as well as a scathing collection of blackened riffs that are venomously lethal.
Vitriol’s controlled chaos is impressive and dense. Suffer & Become is a brutal listen, driven by pummelling blast beats and hyperspeed savagery, but it’s also a textured one, with much to explore beyond the surface level carnage. It’s well-crafted, with songwriting that allows the band’s mayhem to be directed in entertainingly violent ways. There are also a dazzling array of solos to get lost in, each one intricate and bright in its intensity.
As death metal goes, Suffer & Become is passionate and potent. It’s like a wall of snarling distortion and harsh hatred is crashing down on you repeatedly, and you just keep lapping it up. Vitriol know how to punish, and they do so will relentless skill.
Across the 47 minutes of material on Suffer & Become, Vitriol will cut deep with their murderous take on death metal. If you like death metal that has technicality, intricacy, and atmosphere, all wrapped up in a ferociously vicious blackened outer shell that’s covered in venomous spikes, then Suffer & Become is for you. This album is witheringly brutal and colossally violent, yet beneath this lies hidden depths to explore, if you can only survive the tumultuous waters.
Wonderbox Metal 