Vile Rites – Senescence (Review)

Vile Rites are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.

Vile Rites contain a member of Mortuous in their ranks, which is enough to get my attention. Senescence offers us 40 minutes of progressive death metal of a high quality. Some bands playing this sort of style get bogged down in the technicality, but for Vile Rites this is just an enabler, not the prime goal of the music.

Vile Rites play their death metal with character and impact. Their style is a progressive one, with psychedelic and technical elements that imbue the music with rich texture and intricacy. A tech thrash influence can be felt too, alongside the tech death one, adding a visceral jagged edge to some of the riffs. The songs have a presence, sound, and personality that are remarkably well-formed; Senescence is striking upon first listen, and only grows in potency as you get to know its manifold charms.

The songs are awash with detailing and instrumental workouts that draw you in. It’s death metal, so it’s aggressive, but it also has atmosphere and psychedelia that are laced into the fabric of the songs at a base level. The music is well-rendered and structured, delivering songs that may be complex and involved, but never feel like a chore to get through. This is not the dense technical impenetrability of much modern tech death, but rather an open, inviting, vast progressive/psychedelic soundscape that encourages exploration and focused listening. Vile Rites understand space and nuance, delivering these within a death metal framework that’s focused on providing the listener with a holistic experience to become immersed in.

Senescence is satisfying and enjoyable. It’s a record that provides a rich deathly landscape for the listener to explore. There’s a wealth of depth and detailing to work your way through as the band’s music washes over you with progressive grace.

Definitely one for fans of bands such as Ænigmatum, Cryptic Shift, Death, Horrendous, Inanna, Obscura, Stargazer, Voidceremony, etc.