Venom Prison – Erebos
Venom Prison – Erebos
Century Media Records
Release Date: 04/02/2022
Running Time: 48:59
Review by Rory Bentley
10/10
Venom Prison have held a special place in my heart since my skin was peeled from my oversized head in 2015 by their frankly vile debut “Animus”. Their blend of traditional Death Metal twinned with the nastier end of Hardcore (without being Deathcore), combined with a lyrical approach that focused on real life horror over pantomime gore was an instant hit with me. 2019’s “Samsara” somehow managed to raise the ferocity levels and harrowing subject matter as demonstrated in the devastating ‘Uterine Industrialisation’ (which is about forced surrogacy, kids!). Point being, Venom Prison are, for my money, one of the best Death Metal bands in the world right now, both on record and live.
As great as they are at smashing your skull into powder though, there was a creeping sense on 2020’s stopgap release ‘Primeval’ (a re-recording of their first two EP’s with two new tracks added on), that the Welsh / Russian quintet had a little more in their locker than they were letting on. Possibly they were curbing their more experimental instincts in favour of dealing out the putrid Death Metal assault that they do better than pretty much everyone else. After all, it’s understandable that a band would want to play to their strength, experiments are a dangerous path to walk for many extreme bands; Suicide Silence and Morbid Angel arguably never recovered from their adventures away from their core sound.
When you’re an up and coming band in this incredibly fragile industry sometimes one false move can be incredibly costly, so I totally get the inclination to stay ‘on brand’, but speaking purely as a music fan I crave progression and stylistic twists from my favourite bands. “Erebos” definitely makes no bones about sticking its neck on the line to do something different, but do these risks pay off?
As you can see by the score at the top of the page that was an utterly redundant question. Rarely have I seen a band make such a huge sonic departure and absolutely nail literally everything they were shooting for! From the cinematic intro track ‘Born From Chaos’, with its ominous gang chants of the album title it is evident that we are going to be getting a different Venom Prison, but in no way is one prepared for how different version 2.0 really is.
As scalding anthem ‘Judges Of The Underworld’ looms into view with its ferocious breakdowns, stomping slam riffs and seething attack on the criminal justice system we get Larissa Stupar introducing actual melodic singing, with the refrain of “Guilty As Charged” both crooned and roared like Burton C. Bell except, y’know… good! It doesn’t hurt that it has a crushing breakdown that could incapacitate a woolly mammoth as well.
Up next ‘Nemesis’ slugs you with a rousing Hardcore style vocal hook that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Slipknot album, appropriately the main riff has a real Nu-Metal bounce to it, though it never loses the grimy ferocity of Death Metal. There are also some eerie samples droning beneath the surface that add an extra wrinkle to the Venom Prison sound, already I’m invested in the band’s new direction – but there’s so much more to come.
‘Comfort Of Complicity’ is next with a very welcome nod to the hyper-speed aggression of previous albums, but yet again we get another curveball when it segues into the best Arch Enemy song you’ve heard for years. Guitarists Ash Gray and Ben Thomas erupt into the kind of regal melodic leads that would have Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis applauding as Larissa screams another anthemic hook over the top. My mind is already blown but nothing can prepare me for what follows.
‘Pain of Oizys’ begins with delicate piano and trip hop beats that owe more to Portishead than Pig Destroyer before we get an unrecognisable Larissa hauntingly crooning the most personal, fragile lyrics of her career. It’s genuinely gorgeous and moving, and when the rousing death metal chorus thunders in it hits so much harder. This is Venom Prison showing off now!
Although this is as extreme as the album gets in terms of sonic departure, there are still new ideas and revelatory moments on every song that follows. The wonderfully titled ‘Golden Apples of Hesperides’ features lilting eastern melodies as the backdrop to an allegorical attack on the evils of social media while ‘Veil of Night’ tugs at the heartstrings with a triumphant Melodeath rumination on grief.
By the time we get to cinematic closer and bitter riposte to capital punishment ‘Technologies of Death’ there can be no doubt that this is one of the metal releases of the year. I cannot overstate how floored and delighted I am by this incredible leap into the unknown that Venom Prison have taken.
This is why I don’t give high scores to well-executed re-treads by veteran bands, or solid efforts from newcomers. “Erebos” is unequivocal proof that metal can be forward-thinking, innovative and utterly thrilling without having to compromise its abrasive integrity. Venom Prison are now unquestionably one of the best Metal bands in the world and this album is absolutely essential listening.
‘Pain Of Oizys’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Born From Chaos
02. Judges Of The Underworld
03. Nemesis
04. Comfort of Complicity
05. Pain of Oizys
06. Golden Apples of Hesperides
07. Castigated In Steel and Concrete
08. Gorgon Sisters
09. Veil Of Night
10. Technologies Of Death
LINEUP:
Larissa Stupar – Vocals
Ash Gray – Guitar
Ben Thomas – Guitar
Mike Jeffries – Bass
Joe Bills – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
