Voracious Malignity

I have converted ¾ of the large outdoor laundry room at my buddies house into a gymnasium. In the room I have a heavy bag and weights along with an old Aiwa karaoke/stereo system with a compact disc player. Hooked up to the system are 2 antiquated speakers; one is a Hitachi and the other is some nameless hunk of garbage. The speakers for the most part due the trick where sound is concerned and I’m not about to change them for something new. When I listen to a disc for the first time on that stereo I always give the band and production the benefit of the doubt. But every now and again I get something that sounds so fucking good it just don’t matter if I play it through my Bose earphones, a megaphone or the ancient speakers in my self made gym. The band that currently has done that with their sound and intensity is Vitality and their new album Voracious Malignity.

Vitality got together in February of 2004. They are made up of members from Prophecy- Phil Holland (Vocals) and Jeff Hernandez (Guitar), Devourment- Robert Moore (Guitar), Valsgarde- Stephen Jeter (Bass), and Anthony Walker (Drums). Shortly after pumping out a demo called “Tearing Through Flesh” Vitality got signed to the Comatose Music label and put out their debut “Voracious Malignity.”

Right from the intro you know your in for something ugly yet strangely alluring. Vitality come at you with a sound that blends together Prophecy and Devourment with elements of Disgorge, and Skinless in terms of sound, quickness, and tightness in the music. Composition wise they remind me of a cross between Tomb of the Mutilated/Vile era Cannibal Corpse and a slightly less technical Beheaded. Basically, this music is heavy and warped making it the kind of thing a grotesque zombie would pipe through loudspeakers while reveling in human intestines.

1. Intro- Sickening garbles and chant like groans give the listener a preview for what is to come.

2. Hemorrhoidal Flare Up- Burp, burp, puke, this song chugs through you guts with slow and fast riffs along with a solo until your ready to hit the can for a drawn out bowel movement… Mmmm, tasty.

3. Given Up For Dead- Ball splattering riffs grab you from the get go, and then Phil starts barking vomit into your ears with voracious vocals. This song is a nice blend of fast and mid range tempos along with a really killer guitar and bass thump that kick in at 2:04. Go fucking punch someone in the face.

4. Vitality- Imprudently tight with cool breakdowns is how this song blows your brain. It has a Devourment vibe amalgamated with lightening double bass that is so tight it makes me wanna watch porn.

5. Drinkin’ Embalming Fluid- Starts out mid-paced then Anthony Walker starts beating the snare with the lunacy of a ephedrine freak. A sickening gurgle from Phil at 1:38 will make you nauseous and a thick bass sound at 1:58 will massacre your speakers.

6. Belligerence- Let me be a geek for a second: Belligerent is derived from the Latin word “belliger” which means to wage war. This song sounds like a squadron of B-52’s swooping in and dropping a payload of napalm bombs right on your goddamned skull.

7. Pipe Wrench Bludgeoning- This is probably my favorite track on the album. One moment it is fast, then chugging like a guy somewhat tired from beating someone with a pipe wrench. The vocals are straight out demented and there is a harmonized melody on guitar that busts in at 2:34 courtesy of Jeff Hernandez and Robert Moore. And what the fuck is with that dirty deep bass sound from Stephen Jeter, is he disturbed or brilliant?

8. Tearing Through Flesh- I lied, this is my favorite song. This song is a gruesome soundtrack to be played when tonguing a 300 pound porker pussy. Overall it’s a juggernaut virtuosity of speed and mosh pit riffing that will make you more aggressive than Kenny Rogers brutalizing a cameraman.

9. Power Sanded Sackless- Yeah, this is exactly how sanding away flesh would sound… Unrelenting and vile from beginning to end.

10. Locked In A Morgue Drawer- More chaos than a 1000 red ants on your nut sack is this jam. I honestly get the impression that Phil Holland wanted to hack up his lower intestines singing this song, and musically it has some real nice rhythm changes slowing on 2 occasions to an almost listless tempo like green snot running down a kids upper lip.

Actually, the best vibe I get from this disc is on hidden track #11. Obviously when you here it your gonna realize the song is not Brutal Metal. But for me that is just the point. These guys seem to have a good chemistry among one another that has found a way to bleed through the music thereby making it more enjoyable to hear. In as much as all the music on this disc is heavy it is also filled with a good time vibe that is augmented by solid production that sounds amazing on my Bose noise canceling earphones and BROOOTAL on them shitty gymnasium speakers.

In Vitality, Comatose Music has added another damned good band to the label. It will not surprise me if in another couple of years Comatose Music becomes one of the leaders in Underground Metal. Check out the label and do yourself a favor; pick up Vitality’ debut “Voracious Malignity” cause it is a must have slab of BRUTALITY.