Depopulate

There are bands that leaders and there are bands that are followers; Vile are part of the latter group. While Depopulate isn't exactly ground breaking nor very original, there is a vast amount of enjoyment to behold in this little treat. Playing death metal in vein of Morbid Angel and Suffocation, which shows through the typical and one-dimensional growls that tag along with the heavily distorted guitars, frantic drumming, and clean production. Although there aren't many hooks in the any of the songs, the seething velocity and the gruesome melody that bleeds from hyper-acceleration really give the songs the necessary element of heaviness it needs to be on par with other bands. Tracks like “Butchered” and “Interrogation Rites” are good examples of songs that possess fervent and violent melodies within the fast strumming and tremolo picking.

The drummer tends to switch a lot between swift blast beats and blistering double bass domination which is accompanied with more of a rhythmic beat. Again, this is pretty standard for almost any kind of death metal. The band consists of talented musicians; they can obviously play their instruments very well. Vile's main weak point is their songwriting - it's a connotation that Vile are more concerned with being brutal and fast than focusing on making their music more special and personified. Brutality is welcome, but they need more spice to separate them from the never ending swarm of equals in the business.

Nothing out of the normal for death metal, but it certainly is one of the better releases out there.

Woah! Pure Californian Death-Crush is now at hand thanks to the brutally talented 4-piece - Vile. "Depopulate" is Vile's second full-length record and has the best sound and album production to offer and doubtlessly 9 tracks of pure chaotic, hyper, technical California bay style Death Metal. The talent of namely Colin Davis and company really strikes out at all levels in each track. Although hyper/technical the sound may seem - there are those real catchy riffs that always make my day. those sort of pieces which you keep on listening to on and on and wanna learn if you play an instrument. The drums by Tyson Jupin are completely flawless - the double bass work isvery impressive but the speed is a must for this style of music. Juan Urteaga has really got the gut and vocal chords giving the tracks an all-sick vocal work. Last but not least Colin Davis and second guitarist Aaron Strong have some brilliant talent. Favourite tracks are "Retaliation", "Interrogation Rites" and "Depopulate". The last track changes tone completely as it is an acoustic harmony interlude! Not death metal but still nice.

There are bands that create new genres, those who refine those genres and those who stick to the tried and tested roads the first group created.

Vile belongs to the third group. They give you the basics of death metal. (Cannibal Corpse laid down the terms for this form of death metal and stuck to it...with people screaming for originality) and nothing more to add to it.

Back to this album, guitarist Aaron Strong produces good solos for each of the songs while the (now departed) vocalist, Juan Urteaga, growls with intent, but he doesn't go for the kill as the lyrics seem tame compared to Cannibal Corpse, Disgorged (mex), early Carcass with only Butchered supplying the gore.

To the credits of the lyrics though, they make an attempt of actually being evil with tales of torture (Interrogation Rites), depopulation, genocide (Depopulate, Path To Incineration), WMDs (Unit 731), the rest of the band does their part in giving a doomy atmosphere (rather than blastbeating their way through the songs, which makes a change). The last song, Bitterness, brings preceedings to an melodic end with some bloke screaming "He cut my fucking ear off, I'm fucking deformed (fuck you), I'm fucking dying" (that does sound a bit like some well known "mallcore" bands doesn't it? (well, it is at the end of the album so its not too bad.)

Out of the numerous death metal releases out there, this is one of the better releases, but don't expect anything out of the ordinary, just good old fashioned death metal.