Generation of Vipers – Guilt Shrine (Review)

This is the fifth album from US sludge metal band Generation of Vipers.

I last heard Generation of Vipers on 2011’s Howl and Filth, which was a long time ago, (their last album actually came out in 2014 though, which I missed). Guilt Shrine contains 35 minutes of sludgy menace.

Generation of Vipers are cut from the same cloth as bands like Ilsa and Kowloon Walled City, although you can also hear elements of acts such as Cult of Luna, Dirge, In the Company of Serpents, and Neurosis. Within this, Generation of Vipers have a darkened colour of their own design. Their music has absorbed a similar sort of source material, jettisoned much of the more nuanced and atmospheric components, (but not all), and refined what’s left into concise songs of crushing heaviness.

Heavy heavy heavy, riffs riffs riffs, groove, groove, groove – this is the main thing to understand about Guilt Shrine; it’s heavy, it has an abundance of riffs, and it’s all about the merciless groove. Generation of Vipers take these ingredients, add a relentless drum and bass backing beat that would do Godflesh proud, top it off with satisfyingly harsh vocals, and serve it up with malevolent glee. Yep, this is good stuff.

Okay, the record actually isn’t quite as one-dimensional as the above paragraph might make it seem, as there are a few other paces/moods/ideas going on here, but mostly this is a punishing record that wants little else other than to flatten listeners with drum/bass/guitar heaviness that’s near-physical in its delivery. In this it succeeds, and Guilt Shrine is very agreeable as a result.

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this. If this sort of thing hits the spot for you, then I recommend it highly.