Album Review: Venomous Skeleton - Drowning In Circles
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Venomous Skeleton draw their strength from Israeli underground death metal outfit Sonne Adam, whose somewhat legendary album ‘Transformation’ was released nine years ago. Three members of Sonne Adam have picked up where they left off and ‘Drowning In Circles’ is the furious sonically potent result. As you’d expect with a band name like theirs, the band have a sound buried deep in the halls of prototype death metal pioneers, to which they have added their own musical roots and influences. ‘Divine Realm of Existence’ which is the first muscular track on the album is short, sharp and powerful. Bludgeoning aggression, gruff vocals and brain haemorrhaging riffing combined with an echoing Eastern tinge. It sets the pace and tone for the brutalising experience which follows.
‘Tomb of the Restless Soul’ maintains the evil atmospherics, the sinewy approach snaking around the listener whilst the aural abuse remains set high. Explosive as the album’s tracks are, it may be punching too high to proclaim Venomous Skeleton as innovative or ground-breaking; yet the powerful ‘Taste the Celestial Blood’ is comfortingly gnarly and raw, something that the band have captured in this ferocious 35 minutes. The title track which closes the album for example, dominates with its towering tremolo riffing and volcanic delivery.
Whilst there is plenty to appeal here, especially the forbidding atmosphere which permeates throughout this release, there isn’t always the changes of tempo that set aside the real death metal legends from the also-rans. That said, if you enjoy the grisly rough old school style death metal blended with slightly anthemic Eastern tones, there is enough to grapple with in this debut release. It certainly packs a solid right jab; the question is whether the left hook and knockout delivery are quite there yet.
Venomous Skeleton release ‘Drowning in Circles’ via Everlasting Spew records on 17th April.
With a vinyl offering available here via Argento Records.
