Vomitory - Carnage Euphoria (2009)

The powerful distortion and punk/d-beat infused energy which has always permeated most Swedish death metal has seen quite the revival in recent years, with countless new bands forming as tributes to the original tone and style. Others have been at it for some time now, and at the forefront of these stands Vomitory, a band responsible for such devastating outbursts as Revelation Nausea and Primal Massacre. If you've heard one Vomitory album, then you've probably heard them all. But when a band is this consistent, I'm not complaining.

Carnage Euphoria is their 7th full length effort, and while it may not have the same shock factor that I felt first listening to a few of their past works, the quality is undeniable. "The Carnage Rages On" is a fast opening track which hardens the arteries but didn't throw me over the edge. It took the second track, "Serpents" to do that, grinding with menace across several Left Hand Path-worthy grooves dippsed in Slayer sauce. "A Lesson in Virulence" starts with a barbaric old school death/thrashing, Rundqvist bass plodding along with the perfect distortion as the band alternates between further Swede melodi-grind and some slower grooves perfect to sate any violent impulse. "Ripe Cadavers" lets the war drumming roll right into another of those d-beat/Hellhammer deathstyle rhythms which are so rarely pulled off with an air of menace. Not the case here. "Rage of Honour" is a little more pure grind, I heard a little Rotten Sound, or rather Napalm Death. "The Ravenous Dead" is one of the best tracks on the album, totally rocking out with some great death/doom rhythms and a bridge of pure evil. Other fist fucks include "Deadlock" and "Possessed", performed with exhilirating speed and callous brutality. "Great Deceiver" ends the album with an epic and evil flair to its opening melodies, with some sick verse rhythms.

The tone here is simply a beast, with just the proper crust of punishing fuzz to fuel these thrashing, grinding axeworks. It's probably the best sounding of all their albums to date. The band has actually been around for 20 years now, and have yet to waver from the path of true Swedish destruction. Their passion and energy for the form is relevant and practically unrivaled, and though it may not have impressed me as much few of their early butcheries, it belongs in any DEATH METAL fan's arsenal.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://www.vomitory.net/www2/index.html