Vermin - A Nihilistic Swarm
80%
If it’s fast, grooving, brutal and possesses good vocals, nine out of ten times I tend to like it. But when filed under death metal I’m a bit picky, paying attention to production, vocal sound and originality a lot. And now the Dutch outfit Vermin has released it’s third effort onto the unsuspecting metalhead population, but will it take any prisoners?
Guess not, is my answer to that. After this seventeen track record filled with grooves, blastbeats, screams and grunts, I’ve been more than convinced about their ability to create maniacal death metal with an original touch to it. The first band that comes to mind for most people must be Cannibal Corpse, due to the rude blunt attack it has throughout the album. But I’m not a Cannibal Corpse fan at all, in fact I like this way better. There is a higher degree of originality in this music.
As their bio unravels to me, they are also influenced by acts like Meshuggah, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Immolation, all bands that try their hardest to keep metal interesting. And it sounds like they picked up on writing interesting songs, that can keep a listener’s attention for an entire album, which is usually a hard thing to do with death metal.
One of the things I really love about A Nihilistic Swarm is the groove they put down in their breakdowns. They are truly wrecking! As I know it is hard to really get to know an album in a short time, I must say that the more often I listen to it, the more I start to like it. Their infectious groove does not stop with the breakdowns, even in the fastest parts and rhythmical experiments they are noticeably present, which makes listening to this album very comfortable.
Vocally some good lines are spewed out, but nothing unusual. Just your basic bowel movements and cum regurgitation. Or something of that matter.
Well when I first listened to this album I thought it would be tough to review it, but I ended up with a whole lot more to say than I expected. I hope to witness a good show of these lads very soon! Death metalheads with a hunger for originality, YOU’RE MISSING SOMETHING!!!
