Vasaeleth – Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin (2010) [Profound Lore] // Grade: A-

I’m a fairly recent convert to Death Metal. I just wasn’t ever really into a lot of it. After I found that Entombed and Dismember were basically D-beat bands with skills and that Possessed was basically a thrash band with evil vocals, my downward spiral began. I’m still iffy on a lot of it though…especially the newer über-technical shit that feels more like 6 minute grind with too many solos. However after listening to Vasaeleth’s Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin I now have major faith that not all death/grind made in the last few years is strictly techdork shit.

Right off the fucking bat, the album starts with crushing Death/Grind with no fucking remorse. This has got to be downtuned a full 4 steps. Shortly after, it evolves into riffy doom/death shit with coffins-esque über-cookiemonster vocals. Not much changes throughout the album and yet it works like a charm.

I was going to get all “reviewery” here but fuck it, this is the listening note from “Curse Seeping Through Flesh”:

Fuck me running this is heavy. Normally I’d find shit like this pretty boring but it’s so fucking awesomely riff driven and rich that I’m loving it.  Though their page claims them to be Death/Black Metal, I really hear very little to do with Black Metal. Maybe their lyrics have something to do with trees or blackened abyssal peaks of infernally doomed goat raping or something. Pretty much to me, the only black metal part about this shit is sometimes they use the drum beat. That’s a damn good thing in this case

Basically, Vasaeleth is and heavy and fully adept, but not annoying or trying too hard.  That’s the key to this album. Also, the production fucking rules for their sound.  It feels like the whole thing was recorded in an endless cave of despair. Funny enough, for such a “metal” album, I think it’s the hints of punk seeping through are what really draw me in and hold my attention. Every song is based on fairly simple structures, solidly defined riffs, and feature a surprising lack of solos and general wankery. Shit, the album even comes in at 30minutes pretty much on the dot. A refreshing change from the seemingly eternal length of most metal albums of late.

Basically Vasaeleth is in the business of unadulterated heaviness, and business on Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin is fucking great. If you’re into either Portal and Coffins you’ll love this shit.

- My Pal the Crook