Album Review: Putrid Yell - Consuming Aberration
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Putrid Yell have been a part of the Chilean extreme metal scene for quite some time, since 2012 in fact, but in that time the band had never released a full length record. That was, however, until now, as the band prepare to unleash Consuming Aberration upon their longtime fans. I think it always surprises people as to how vast Chile’s underground metal scene really is and perhaps few know this more than Putrid Yell who, in their twelve year career have released several Demos and Splits. Yet from 2018, the band went very quiet on releases, until this record was at last announced. Now on the cusp of their career’s first studio album, I imagine the band are brimming with excitement. Let’s see what their first record manages to offer.
The band waste zero time on their record. There’s no introductory track or small piece to slowly ease us into the fray, the band hit the ground running and it soon becomes clear this is the pace Consuming Aberration will set for the entirety of its duration. This is primarily to maximise the effect of their guitar tone, which feels just a tad removed from the Swedish buzzsaw sound yet, the band’s sound isn’t this razor-thin, slicing, sound but rather a thick and clenched tone that strikes with all the force a Chilean death metal act would wish to possess. But their chords and strums dissipate quickly as well, as if the band chose to relinquish control of their sound right from the start, enabling it to flail wildly like some marauding beast. With this said though, the band do maintain some semblance of control as they manoeuvre us through their songwriting, and the pace quickens or slows here and there, thereby showcasing how this demonstration of mania is deliberate and part of the band’s insistence of an unrepentant onslaught.
A great swathes of Putrid Yell’s songwriting can also be defined as unpredictable. There’s no mistaking what kind of sonic beating audiences will be subjected to throughout this record, yet that doesn’t mean we need to see where we’re going at all times. The band offer us avenues we can see down before jerking is suddenly down a ninety degree turn and, before we know it, we’re being annihilated by blistering guitar solos, savage blast beats and an all the more animalistic vocal performance. If anything, the drums feel the most incremental at solidifying the band’s tendency for spontaneous action; for much of the record the drums are pretty standard, we’ve heard these patterns before. However, when the band’s wild nature kicks in, the drums ramp up their intensity tenfold and before you know it, you’ve got devastating blast beats raining down on you. It’s all the more effective since the drums have been given plenty of room to move within the mix; they’re far from being enveloped or smothered herein.
What certainly made this a more rounded album in my eyes was when the bass was brought to the forefront of the band’s sound in places. Now for the most part, Putrid Yell’s performance is pretty typical where we get vast droves of death metal being hurtled at us, yet what opened my eyes was when I picked up on the bass’ impact. The bass isn’t immediately apparent, it doesn’t punch you straight away in the face but once you notice it, it’s impossible to turn away from its tones because of how total it’s reverberating basslines become. The bass doesn’t follow the same cues as the riffs in this case, the two are separate entities that seek their own goals and provide different elements for the audience to become engaged with. The bass in this instance is this rumbling, awakening creature that stirs and snorts and roars but, it’s the kind of menace we can experience that feels far away. The bass isn’t thrown up in our faces and yet it’s evil gravitates towards us with tremulous power.
While the band’s approach to songwriting is straightforward for the most part, there are numerous periods throughout the record where their riffs assume a much blockier, and concise, approach. These instances, I feel, are absolutely vital in cementing Putrid Yell’s songwriting much more firmly in our minds seeing as to how their general approach is so ripping and visceral. The riffs can take on a more concrete direction, forgoing the flailing style their songwriting can exhibit and hints towards something more, hiding beneath the surface, that suggests there’s a lot more to Putrid Yell than is initially apparent. The band make very clear early on what audiences are in for, but that doesn’t mean they need be designated as a one-note band. It’s these moments throughout the songwriting that really open up the band to more adventurous displays of songwriting, hopefully for the future.
In conclusion, Putrid Yell’s first album is a blazing studio debut that the band are no doubt proud to finally release. While they don’t hide what their sound is primarily there to consist of, those instances of more developed songwriting absolutely benefit the band’s performance and help us fall further into their soundscape. I appreciate how the band didn’t subject us to a totally punishing atmosphere, which their guitar tone and ripping aesthetic would have absolutely suggested, instead it’s pretty easy on our senses and, since this becomes the case, each ensuing track doesn’t diminish the power the band herein provide. This could have become a bore quite quickly however, through the implementations of diverse songwriting techniques, Putrid Yell ensure this is a straightforward death metal record done well. I was happily surprised by what this record offered and I’d certainly be up for more.
