This is the latest release from Swedish death metal band Demonical.
Although certainly not my first love, and I don’t usually seek them out, I do enjoy a good live album. I really like Demonical, so knew I wanted to check out this live recording as soon as I saw it. Bursting at the seams with 62 minutes of chainsaw-driven death metal, there’s a lot of meaty music here to get your teeth stuck into.
Recorded during Demonical’s September 2023 Latin America tour, Victorious Death – Live in Latin America draws tracks from the band’s last three albums – Chaos Manifesto, World Domination, and Mass Destroyer – as well as their most recent EP Into Victory, (including the band’s Ramones cover, as the last song played on this release).
The sound quality is good, allowing you to feel the music as if it was standing on your throat, (which is obviously the preferred way to experience your old-school Swedeath mayhem). The band’s performance is visceral and nasty, in all of the right ways – it sounds like it was a great tour to be a part of, and the songs hit the spot. Heavy groove, punishing beats, macabre melodies, and aggressive heaviness – what more could you want from Swedish death metal? It’s a style that’s ancient and fixed, and Demonical play it better than almost anyone. The band have a new vocalist once more since we last saw them on 2022’s Mass Destroyer, and his voice does the job nicely.
This is just an effortlessly fun album to listen to. With so many good songs given such a forceful airing, Demonical are on fire. Personal favourite cut Fallen Mountain sounds especially catchy and beefy, but to be honest you could say that about almost any song here. Pick any at random and you’ll be in for a song-focused feast of death metal carnage and cruel barbed hooks that will keep you coming back for more.
I’ve never seen Demonical live, but after listening to Victorious Death – Live in Latin America I really want to.
Wonderbox Metal 