‘An arrow of vision shot outside the periphery of God’.
The first aspect that strikes me about the new album from Vitriol is the lyrics, they are incredibly imaginative, creative, metaphorical and enigmatic. It is a piece of iconic literature, ripe for dissection, debate and deliberation.
Vitriol are Kyle Rasmussen – vocals/guitar, Adam Roethlisberger – bass/vocals, Matt Kilner – drums and Daniel Martínez – guitars, together they bring you an erudite and brain crushing album that you really need to sit down with a dictionary for. The words are challenging; they induce feelings of abject stupidity – on my part- and a wilful lack of understanding about how people suffer, their reactions and their coping mechanisms. Their descriptive ways persuade you to think a little deeper, think outside of your comfort zone and view the world from a drastically unconventional angle.
I love the knowledgeable insights here; they absolutely raise questions; they cross-examine our ideas and opinions with a razor sharp intent and a fearlessness that is the very substance of this work. We start with the up close and personal video for ‘Shame and Its Afterbirth’ we get some deft and delicate plucking, then into that slice up your eyeballs bassline, plenty of drama here, let me tell you. Leading us neatly into ‘The Flowers of Sadism’ an unhinged live art piece, Vitriol show us their world, their troubles, and their form of expression. You don’t have to agree, as art is subjective, but the externalisation of the internally incarcerated anxieties is as extreme as it gets.
The album gives us the notion that sometimes you need to cultivate your darkest, innermost thoughts to fight your own toxic circumstances. To become something that is reviled in society is sometimes the only way to deal with your own personal hell. Accept the darkness, maybe then you can be aware and accepting of the light. It is a weighty topic for sure, there is scope for misunderstanding too, but alienating our demons, means we alienate our angels too. When Behemoth ventured further into the dark side, Vitriol said ‘hold my goblet of black blood’ the video for the apocalyptic finisher ‘He Will Fight Savagely’ is visually goring, a real life scenario immortalised in the most punishing way possible.
It is definitely a record worth sticking with, there is a lot to take in and a lot to learn. It is the epitome of purgation, reminding me of ‘The Cleansing’ by Suicide Silence, maybe not lyrically, but the guts for garters portrayal and cut-throat delivery, it is an art form that is underrated, under-represented in the mainstream, yet bubbles ravenously underground, that is where you will find the heart and soul of Death metal.
Azra Pathan
Vitriol – Suffer and Become out now.