This is the third album from US death metal band Witch Vomit.
Witch Vomit are such an enjoyable band, and I really liked the filthy, gruesome old-school rot of A Scream from the Tomb Below, Poisoned Blood, and Buried Deep in a Bottomless Grave. But wait, change is afoot in the Witch Vomit camp. What does that mean for the 31 minutes of Funeral Sanctum?
Well for a start it means that the album is cursed by a couple of pointless intro and interlude tracks. Although brief, that’s still over three minutes of filler that would have been better off left on the cutting room floor.
Other than that though, Witch Vomit’s music has progressed on Funeral Sanctum – the band have ingested a melodic black metal influence that informs the music’s character deeply. Essentially, Witch Vomit’s stinking pool of ancient, fetid old-school death metal influences have expanded to include the icy touch of bands like Dissection and Necrophobic. The heart of primitive death metal is absolutely still there, but these melodic black metal elements have definitely given Witch Vomit a sophisticated edge that I never thought we’d hear from the band’s output. The clash between primitive brutality and polished technicality is an interesting one, and mostly resolves in Witch Vomit’s favour throughout these ten tracks.
So it’s with blackened ferocity that Funeral Sanctum tears flesh from bone. Brute force barbarism is twinned with infernal grandeur, making for music that takes strength from both. The guitars have become much more of a focus, and the songs are packed with riffs riffs riffs! Witch Vomit’s furious passion for blood-soaked melodic might is infectious. There are a whole bunch of screaming solos too that are molten.
Witch Vomit’s new direction seems to be working for them. Funeral Sanctum‘s blackened death metal attack is sharp and violent, leaving bloody smears and lacerated flesh in its wake.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 