Gravehammer

Many of death metal's greatest moments are martial in nature. From Bolt Thrower's crushing cannonades to Amon Amarth's victorious marches, metal and war are inseparable companions. Vore capitalize on this synergy to great effect, plowing a potent path of aural avarice. Like the best articulations of aggression, Gravehammer has the power to physically propel a listener.

Vore aren't new kids; they've been toiling in the metal trenches since the mid '90s. The ideas they convey aren't new either, but death metal is all in the delivery. Gravehammer unfolds as a storm of swarming, chopping, chainsaw riffs, driven by a volatile rhythmic butchery. Riffs often fall into a flailing, circular churn, bolstered by the badass beats. There's plenty of hoary, hammered-on guitar work that plays well against the base bashing. Solos are sparse and purposeful, full of sane, semi-melodic sweeping that works well enough.

Frontman Page Townsley's vocals are gloriously guttural and demonically deep. The lyrics are delivered synchronously with Gravehammer's marching cadence, as if by a monomaniacal drill sergeant. Pithy, scream-along choruses beg for listener participation, or perhaps demand it.

None of Vore's weapons would work if the riffs and rhythm didn't rip off your head; Gravehammer does that consistently and voraciously. Remy Cameron's flawlessly executed drums direct the maelstrom with panache and precision. Perfectly innocuous production lets this thing speak for itself. You'll want to listen. Every day is a fight to the death; Gravehammer is a perfect soundtrack to your quotidian combat.

Originally published here: http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/cd-review-vore-gravehammer

I can't help but have respect for a band like Vore. The Arkansas death metal band has been slogging away since 1994 self-releasing albums and playing occasional shows when possible. Vore may not be signed to a label, but the guys make quality death metal that deserves to be heard. Even though the albums are self-released, they usually aren't too hard to track down. Unfortunately, I haven't had as much luck catching Vore live. Last year the band had to cancel an appearance at a festival I was attending. At another show I witnessed years earlier, the band ended up having to perform without a P.A. due to some "technical difficulties" on the part of the venue / promoter. Nevertheless, Vore had the class to play the show anyway sans vocals. It's this kind of dedication to their craft that has allowed the members of Vore to stick to their guns and release their best album to date, Gravehammer, nearly eighteen years into their career.

For those who are not in the know, Vore plays death metal that is powerful, crushing, and above all, catchy. The songs on Gravehammer are instantly likeable but will continue to grow on the listener with repeated listens. Vore mostly deals in simple grooves, but the songs are very well-written and pack staying power. The tempos are generally slow to mid-paced which might lead some to label Vore "death / doom." This is not a bad comparison, but it's not entirely accurate either. Vore's songs are "slowish," but they are never sluggish enough to truly qualify as death / doom. Besides the slower tempos, Vore's songs can be quite long too. The tunes on Gravehammer range from roughly five to eight minutes each. Due to the length of the tracks, the songs can tend to be a bit repetitive. This is really my only beef with this album. However, this is only a minor quibble since the riffs are so bad-ass that the repetition doesn't hurt much. Despite these few doom-like characteristics, Vore is more of an old-school death metal band than anything else. While the guitar work is usually pretty straight-forward with its addictive grooves, Vore adds a little technical flair upon occasion with sweet melodic solos and some seamless sweep-picking. The bass and the drums, handled by Jeremy Partin and Remy Cameron respectively, serve as a solid rhythmic unit that adds a thick bottom end with a collective tone that's deeper than the furthest reaches of hell. Vocalist / guitarist Page Townsley's growls are equally deep and heavy. Along with Vore's song-oriented grooves, the vocals on Gravehammer are definitely a highlight of the album. Townsley's voice sounds like it is emanating from some dark abyss where light cannot exist. In addition, the strong production adds to the power of Gravehammer by keeping the bottom end thick but never muddy.

Vore's Gravehammer is highly recommended for those who enjoy catchy, song-oriented death metal. Fans of everything from Grave, Obituary, and Bolt Thrower to Vader and Behemoth should take notice. Maybe, just maybe, Gravehammer will be the album that will finally see Vore signed to a label. These guys definitely deserve it. As long as Vore keeps releasing albums as strong as Gravehammer, I will be pleased either way.

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com

Formed in 1994, this current trio puts out some solid death/doom metal. Page Townsley is the frontman on vocals/guitars, Jeremy Partin on bass and Remy Cameron on drums. Don't expect any blast beating on "Gravehammer" because these guys play some seriously heavy no nonsense death/doom metal to the core. It's hard to believe that being around since then they're still on an independent label. Their music is plenty good enough to be on a major record label. They've toured with some well known bands as well, but still remain to be self-released.

The music on here features thick chunky palm muted guitar riffs in the vein of Six Feet Under and Page on vocals sounds a lot like Glen Benton of Deicide. Their music is not overtly technical, it is straight forward tremolo picked lines which also feature heavy chords that are slow and doom laden. The guitar fits well with the vocals. I was very impressed also with the solos. They're played with precision and are quite technical. I'd conclude that the leads are far above par by Page. He seriously shreds and for a more doom fashion metal band that quality is hard to find.

I can't compare this album to previous ones because because this is the first one that I've heard by the band. Supposedly some of the older releases received better ratings. I was surprised about that because "Gravehammer" is a gem of a release, especially when 2011 was lacking in some good metal outputs by well known bands. This is one that is worthy of praise because not only is it dark and grim, it still has innovation and creativity. The riffs are well played out with vigor. Lines that stick to your brain even some clean tone exhibited briefly here.

The mixing is well rounded with everything heard very well. Another surprising feature because again they're an independent. The guitars, bass, drums and vocals are all well in there so that nothing is left out. In essence, production quality was solid and the band was able to put in enough monetarily to finance the recording of this release. Definite quality, they need to sign onto a major label! However, you can buy their CD's on Amazon.com. I'm hoping that they will eventually be on a major label in the next upcoming releases. Very talented musicians!

I'd have to say that I was shocked how well this band put together such an amazing concoction of riff-writing, bass that is quite auditory and drums that are orchestrated in double bass fashion for an immense amount of the album depending on what the guitar is doing. Again Six Feet Under style of lines riff-wise and quite noteworthy to say the least! I'm not entirely convinced that they should've gotten a poor rating for this album because I think it's high quality metal especially when again 2011 was a year of disappointment in the metal industry. If you want classic death/doom metal, "Gravehammer" is it!

Vore is a name I'll probably always remember thanks to a single, dedicated fan. It was somewhere in 1998-2000, at the Milwaukee Metalfest, where I saw the Arkansas band perform in one of the multitude of afternoon opening slots, and I recall one of their friends or followers shouting VORE for about 30-60 minutes afterward, well after they'd broken down their gear. At any rate, they've also got a few decent, mid-paced death metal slogs to their name, like the Dead Kings Eye EP in 1997 and the Lord of Storms full-length in 2001 which had a style somewhere between Bolt Thrower and Florida titans Deicide or Cannibal Corpse. Gravehammer, their third album, takes up the baton right where those recordings left off, so you're looking at another old school yet refreshingly non-trendy hammering: only this time they brought the cover art to really match the sound.

Nothing extraordinary about what these guys write, it's a lot of simple pummeling chug/grooves circa Realm of Chaos or War Master, with a more polished, dry production similar to the latter of the two. The vocals are largely a deep guttural, with some slathering of snarls that creates an overall atmosphere not unlike Glen Benton. Not a lot of memorable or interesting riffs through the album, perhaps, but then, a lot of 'war metal' sounding bands like this one have traditionally been more concerned with flattering you under their fists than reinventing the wheel. Vore at least accomplish this beating with fervor, as crude as their compositional ambition might seem. They occasionally delve into some slightly more complex patterns, like the winding mutes that permeate "The Unseen Hand's" chugging, or some of the later tracks which feel more spacious and atmospheric, but in general it's a bunch of chugging, minimalist riffs that feel like a tribal tribute to the movement of tanks across fields of human bones.

In the end, I wouldn't say that I found Gravehammer to be a 'great' release, but then neither is it a weak one. Fans of mid-90s production and simpler US sounds of bands like Cianide or Jungle Rot might draw some enjoyment out of this, or those that fancy the bone crushing overseas oldies of Benediction, Asphyx and the aforementioned Bolt Thrower. This isn't exactly a bastion of variation, nor is there much technicality to the music, but even when the band is writing a track of about eight minutes ("Doomwhore", "The Claw is the Law") they manage to imbue enough of an atmosphere that you'll grimly flex your neck along to its muted meat. It's cool to see that they've continued to trudge along for 17 years in lieu of a major breakthrough, and while this is unlikely to earn them a shift in that status, it's at least built from a consistent and brute backbone.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com