BASTARD GRAVE - VORTEX Of DISGUST (DEATH METAL, REVIEW, RELEASED 3/10/23, PULVERISED RECORDS)


Another review from the Bog archive pools, adapted & updated for the Bog.  

Bastards and bastardettes, it’s Bastard Grave back with Vortex Of Disgust and it’s as filthy as a burger from one of those shitty vans outside a oceanside shithole night club. It’s like being at a festival and you know you have to live on shit for the weekend. That’s how filthy Vortex Of Disgust is and it’s delightful! This time around Bog can hear the production and sound is much crisper, but it retains the filthy sound, which Bog took great joy in painting a mental picture for you.

Sunder The Earth introduces us to what is about to come. A slight interlude, then patient riffs with vigorous vocals to get us ready. Around the 1 minute mark is when Bastard Grave opens up and give us a taste of the foul delicacy they have concocted to satisfy our hungry mosh stomachs. The consistency is something Bog recognised when they listened more and more to the album, especially on the first song, which is a solid way to open up Vortex Of Disgust. As you read on, hopefully you don’t lapse into a case of sudden sleep, but you will see Bog talk about the interchange of pace and transitioning on the various songs. They all flow exceptionally between the differing speeds utilised, which made Vortex Of Disgust a fun album to spend time with. 

Icon Bearer is a nice fast grimy song with good mid paced mosh parts to go along with the speed, and is accompanied by strong post apoc vocals. This really does kick some ass, and Bog wanted an ass kicking, so keep it coming!

Vortex Of Disgust has all the classic hallmarks of Scandinavian Death Metal with the melding of Old School Birmingham Death Metal. There are Death Doom feels on Necrotic Ecstasy before the pace picks up again. When you consider Bastard Grave have drawn forth an amalgamation like this, then its no wonder Bog cannot stop shouting about Vortex Of Disgust.

Consumed and Forgotten follows on the feels from the previous track and injects a turbo charge of mosh noise. Another thing Bog always enjoy about bands who play this style are the visual atmospheres sparked in the imagination. It always possesses that kind of quality and draws you deeper. Although there is more emphasis on the death doom on this release.

Nameless Horror certainly sounds a like classic horror movie with the way the track starts before unleashing itself into a comfortable mid-tempo pace with chuggy thunder thigh riffs and a huge mosh crescendo coming around 2 mins or so, before it's back to swinging your head around to the mid-tempo rhythm. The guitars are furious in parts and the persistent vocals do justice to the music, and the drums portray a horror onslaught of doom.

Hunger To Devour had Bog instantly banging their head and pulling a mosh face. You know the one we all do when we hear something that makes our ears and senses perk up. This is another onslaught interchanging perfectly between fast, mid, and slow. OSDM in abundance to present a magical mosh journey. It is the shortest track on the album and is over very quickly, then the riffs from Eternal Decomposition begin, and Bgo's attention was held firmly. Lots of riffage on and just wait until about 2.15 mins when it’s an instant get out of the bogs and run around in circles in the fields. A real riff orientated track and is an enjoyable listen.

Vortex Of Disgust is the title track of the album and has equal ferocity, pace, and slow heavy passages in the manner of the earlier tracks, so it isn’t a turn off, and is a very good ending to what is a well put together album.

Some take away thoughts on things Bog noticed since the last release. The vocals are much more direct and couple with the band extremely well to present the horror themes associated with the music. The riffs are strong as always and the drumming is equally furious. The production is crisper this time, something Bog mentioned earlier, but the disgusting filth hasn’t been compensated to make way for a smoother sound. The style Bastard Grave play needs to keep a sense of filth within the sound and they haven’t lost it. Actually, it's increased and is more identifiable with the recording improvement.

Music of any kind containing a certain mood is always an enjoyable experience, and this is where Vortex Of Disgust doesn’t disappoint. It adds a level of substance and the hard work behind the creative concepts shines through the album.

Rating: A wonderful album full of mosh, excellent interchanges between fast and slow, which don’t lose the ‘heavy’ of the music, horror esque vocals complementing the musicians, all woven together presenting a dreading doom partnered with a classic horror vibe. For fans of death metal, osdm, death doom, and those who can appreciate all the concepts described above for death metal music. Undiluted pure death metal.

"Necrotic Ecstasy" - Official Track Stream:

https://youtu.be/R-y9BKpcQJM

TRACKLIST

1. Sunder The Earth

2. Icon Bearer

3. Necrotic Ecstasy

4. Consumed And Forgotten

5. Nameless Horror

6. Hunger To Devour

7. Eternal Decomposition

8. Vortex Of Disgust


Follow:

https://pulverised.bandcamp.com

https://www.pulverised.net

https://www.facebook.com/pulverisedrecords

https://www.facebook.com/BastardGrave

https://www.instagram.com/bastardgrave

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