Album Review: Funeral Vomit – Monumental Putrescence
Reviewed by Sam Jones
It’s been a hot minute since I checked out some metal from further overseas, here we’re looking into Colombian-based Funeral Vomit and their first full length album. Formed out of Atlantico back in 2020, the band got underway quickly with their first Demo titled Necrophoric Infestation, and were soon slingshotting between various records labels as they released Splits a year later. They’d continue to do so as they released their self-titled EP but they appear to have stabilised now, having signed on with Xtreem Music, and prepping to unleash their first full length work for a December 19th release date. The year may almost be over yet there are often hidden gems that make their way to our attention, so let’s check out Monumental Putrescence and see what these Colombians have for us.
Right from the outset, the band indicate this is going to be a much more morbid and malignant affair than your typical death metal experience, with an introduction specifically embodying decrepit depths and an ominously baritone voiceover, though unintelligible, that prepares us for the main onslaught. As “Immense Morbidity” begins the band showcase how their intro was nothing to turn your nose up at as their raw and scathing assault is made immediately known to us. Whether through riffs that slice through us, pounding drums that care nought for ourselves or vocals that dig further and further into unforeseen depths, Funeral Vomit don’t hide for one minute the aggressive malevolence their songwriting possesses.
Yet, for all their power, and the immersion they bring to the table, you could deem this as a work of cavernous death metal without it feeling so total of a soundscape that it becomes detrimental to support this record’s weight upon your shoulders. While the riffs are monstrous, and the guitar work often flies on tangents of wailing licks and cries, at no point did I feel their soundscape was bearable up to a point. Often, when a band are vying for a guitar tone and bass presence this prominent, the overall scope of their sound can result in something less refined, resulting in our losing engagement with the songwriting. Interestingly, Funeral Vomit haven’t succumbed to that drawback, likely because their track times aren’t too long and though we can feel the immense strength their riffs harness, they don’t press down us as much as envelop us. In addition, the riffs aren’t pushing the rest of the band out of the way for their time in the spotlight; as they play, they feel to be upon the same plane as any drum track or bass line so rather than one element barrelling down on us, it’s a full frontal band assault, collectively, that’s assailing us.
Vocally this is easily one of the deepest and foulest deliveries we’ve encountered this year for there’s nothing decipherable to be discerned from the performance; it is utterly guttural, as far down the line as vocals can go before they becomes utter gargling insanity. I think it’s a testament as per how well this record is mixed together that we can have numerous aspects of instrumental and vocal deliveries flowing together without any one of them feeling lacking for whatever reasons. The band may be vying for that cavernous style but they still knew they needed to pay attention how everything coerces together to create something that doesn’t merely feel muddled. When you hear the vocals, deep as they are, there’s nothing to distract us from the guttural malice they infer, nor does the beastly aftereffect feel diminished owing to an otherwise ripping guitar presence.
Another demonstration of the band’s mixing is from the drumming, which manages to exert these extraordinary pummellings reminiscent of a barroom beating, yet never fails to strike through the songwriting’s mire to make itself known to us. It’s nice to know the songwriting didn’t just dictate the drums to hurl a ceaseless wave of blast beats at us either, for by enabling the drums to come across as well as they do, that would result in diminishing returns and we’d slowly become disinterested by what the drums can impart. Therefore their changing patterns and intensity is a relief to us, whereby we know we’re allowed breaks time and again to maybe appreciate the vocals or the riffs at different stages of the record. The band clearly have a lot to show us but they don’t throw it all at us at once; it ebbs and flows, giving us what we want to hear, right at the moments when they feel we need to hear it.
In conclusion, Funeral Vomit’s debut full length is a textbook example of how you can craft a vast and sprawling soundscape without it baring down too greatly on your senses. Though the band evidently possess this massive reach they’ve ensured their own songwriting, and ourselves, have enough room to process the track that’s come before and, more importantly for a record of this nature, room to breathe. Had the band unleashed this record, one track after the next, seemingly without breathing, it would have been more arduous and thereby result in our losing attention halfway through in spite of the instrumental break the band provide. I believe Monumental Putrescence is a great album and at just over half an hour long, it really doesn’t last long, but offers plenty of material for us to get our teeth stuck in to. I’d certainly be interested in seeing more from these guys because it’s definitely worth checking out.
