▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Church of Disgust ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Veneration of Filth █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2018-06-28 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Memento Mori ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Church of disgust are a band of tradition. They █ █ drag the rotten corpse of death metal straight out █ █ of the grave and waft its ghastly fumes in your █ █ direction. █ █ The production here is very primitive, and █ █ reminiscent of the work of Scott Burns (albeit █ █ with MUCH more present bass and thicker bass █ █ drums). The guitars are sharp, angular and cut the █ █ through the bass' throaty clank. Everything has a █ █ lot of meat to it, but you can easily pick apart █ █ each instrument and really listen to what's going █ █ on which is a breath of fresh air amidst the █ █ cavernous sound of today's metal of death.The █ █ drums could use a little more reverb on the █ █ cymbals and snare, however, there is plenty on the █ █ toms which I find a bit odd. The only drawback of █ █ this album seems to be the lack of presence from █ █ the guitar, it feels very far away in the mix in █ █ contrast to the bass and the drums. The leads █ █ however, sound awesome and give me goosebumps like █ █ when I had first heard Immolation's 'Dawn of █ █ Possession'. █ █ The album starts off with a clawhammer to the back █ █ of the head with 'Wrath of the Thirteen', a █ █ mid-paced banger much in the tradition of bands █ █ like Cianide and Deteriorot. This bodes well, as █ █ none of the present tropes of played out █ █ Incantation or Blasphemy influence are anywhere to █ █ be seen. The riffs are constructed in no real █ █ surprising manner, however, they deliver exactly █ █ what they should: pounding death metal. When the █ █ guitars finally get busy in the opening of █ █ 'Corpses of Dead Worlds', the album leaps forward █ █ in speed as Church of Disgust assaults you with █ █ ripping trem riffs before sinking back into their █ █ groove again. 'Abhorrent Cruelty' starts out with █ █ a bit of a hardcore punk vibe, showing that █ █ classic Cianide backbone again before fading into █ █ one of their better segues before unleashing that █ █ surgically-precise Bolt Thrower drum rip. █ █ One of their more imaginative moments comes in the █ █ hook in 'Plague of Punishment' as they take on █ █ some ballsier arrangements and show a little bit █ █ of Morgoth's sense of writhing groove. The dead █ █ stop that falls away to pitch shifted chanting and █ █ that lonely sounding, tortured solo is definitely █ █ one of the cornier moments on the record BUT it █ █ does a good job to make it feel right at home with █ █ bands like Catacomb and Cenotaph by delivering █ █ that honest Lovecraftian vibe which is further █ █ built upon by the great interlude that follows. █ █ 'Supine in the Face of Total Death' operates like █ █ a twisted amalgamation of Deicide and and Bolt █ █ Thrower, chopping away at your sanity with stark █ █ tempo changes and some of the best vocal hooks on █ █ the record in its chorus. █ █ Overall, you wont get too many surprises out of █ █ this record as theses dudes are doing their best █ █ to use the long forgotten texts of the old skull █ █ to summon up the beasts of the past. That in no █ █ way detracts from this record, as front to back it █ █ is an unabashed savage ripper. There are few bands █ █ around today that are part of the New Wave of Old █ █ School Death Metal who can deliver this kind of █ █ music with conviction and do it convincingly. █ █ These dudes are the real deal, and 'Veneration of █ █ Filth' is a lesson in absolute punishment from the █ █ crypts. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ Veneration of Filth is an album that deserves █ █ credit for sounding just like it looks. The Putrid █ █ Matt black and white artwork promises a morass of █ █ abominations, a death metal Swamp Thing, and █ █ musically these Texans have arranged their █ █ sophomore to provide exactly that; a punishing █ █ exhibition of old school ugliness which eschews █ █ complexity for balanced, barbaric nostalgia. Much █ █ as you'd pore over the pages of antiquated horror █ █ comics to connect to those morbid fascinations █ █ you'd recall from your youth, you'd ride this █ █ tunnel of rot to reflect upon those great records █ █ of yesteryear which might have initially █ █ frightened or repulsed you if you were even open █ █ to their gruesome potential in the later 80s or █ █ early 90s: Slowly We Rot, Scream Bloody Gore, █ █ Consuming Impulse, Mental Funeral, Realm of Chaos, █ █ The Dying Truth. █ █ Church of Disgust celebrates this legacy, and █ █ wears its influences on its tattered sleeve, but █ █ doesn't do so through sheer laziness or lack of █ █ inspiration. While it's true that a lot of the █ █ tunes here are centered on slower, predictable █ █ grooves that we've all heard before, they excel at █ █ adorning them with disheveled melodies or eerie █ █ harmonies that elevate the experience beyond █ █ something you can just easily delegate to that █ █ cardboard box of CDs you'll never listen through █ █ again. The band is also quite good at picking out █ █ samples or using feedback and ambient noise to █ █ inaugurate a track and thrust you directly into █ █ the cinematic atmosphere which influenced it. When █ █ they pick up their pace, they move at an intestine █ █ churning clip redolent of old Bolt Thrower, just a █ █ hint of the grinding that informed that old, █ █ unpleasant British death metal. When they neuter █ █ it, they perform pretty well in a lurching █ █ death/doom territory where you can envision their █ █ cover creature tramping through the muck and █ █ devouring some unwitting victim...not a sad sort █ █ of doom, just evil beyond ken. █ █ The nihilistic barking growl of Dustin James █ █ hardly stands out in such a crowded cemetery of █ █ guttural icons, not particularly vicious or █ █ memorable; but it's appealingly raw, blunt and to █ █ the point, a cousin to the styles of Chris Reifert █ █ and Chuck Schuldiner, but not quite so dripping █ █ with guts or oozing with viscera. The bass sounds █ █ pretty cool through the album, especially when █ █ they fatten it with some effects as in "Sunken █ █ Altar of Dagon" which is joined with roiling █ █ feedback for one of the record's creepiest █ █ moments. As I was listening, I felt like the █ █ drums, while raw and potent, were a bit overboard █ █ in some places where the double bass was battering █ █ and drowning out the remainder, but some won't █ █ view this so much as a flaw since it encapsulates █ █ the very primal DIY approach this group is taking. █ █ The themes here are ripe with cosmic or earthly █ █ horror, a clear streak of Lovecraft influence, █ █ especially the corruption of Mythos beings upon █ █ the flesh of mortals, and musically they do a █ █ pretty decent job of incorporating that into the █ █ music itself. Some of the more cookie cutter chord █ █ patterns are a little too obvious, but overall █ █ Veneration of Filth promotes some of that fear it █ █ celebrates, which is more than you can say for █ █ many records of its ilk. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Wrath of the Thirteen 5:42 ░ ░ 2. Ripping Decay 3:05 ░ ░ 3. Corpses of Dead Worlds 2:58 ░ ░ 4. Abhorrent Cruelty 4:25 ░ ░ 5. Plague of Punishment 5:24 ░ ░ 6. Temple of Sonance (Interlude) 1:38 ░ ░ 7. Supine in the Face of Total Death 4:14 ░ ░ 8. To Seek Congress with the Realms Beyond 4:11 ░ ░ 9. Veneration of Filth 3:30 ░ ░ 10. Sunken Altar of Dagon 6:28 ░ ░ 41:35 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░