Vile - Stench Of The Deceased
2003 - Listenable Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Listenable Records website.
After releasing the brutal and critically acclaimed 'Depopulate' album, Vile have suffered a fair bit of line-up turmoil, with original vocalist Juan Orteaga leaving to pursue a career in recording and engineering, and more recently guitarist Aaron Strong jumping ship. So, it seems that the likelihood of a new album coming out any time soon is around the same as the likelihood of Saddam Hussain being presented with the Congressional Medal of Honour. Presumable realising this, but loathe to let the buzz from 'Depopulate' fizzle out, Listenable records have re-released Vile's debut album, 1999's 'Stench Of The Deceased', remastered and complete with bonus demo and live tracks.
This is still a pretty impressive slice of Florida-style brutality, featuring technical yet memorable riffage, seriously sick low-growling vocals, blasting drumbeats and subsonic bass grooves. While not as fast and intense as Aborted, or quite as technical or sophisticated as Monstrosity, Vile manage to craft an entertaining album of unremitting heaviness, particularly personified in the midsection to 'Surgery', with the crawling heaviosity of the riffs creating an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere before a faster section comes in that introduces a great death metal mosh breakdown.
The bonus materials are well worth the asking price too, even if you already own the disc in it's original incarnation - live versions of 'Severed', 'Surgery' and album highlight 'Alive To Suffer', as well as a track from Vile's 1996 'Unearthed' demo, 'Processions Of Destruction'. The live tracks are exceptionally well-mixed, sounding as clear and precise as the studio versions, and in one of them you can clearly hear the cry of 'MEEETAAAAALLLL!' from one exuberant audience member, which raises a chuckle.
So, while Vile may not a particularly individualistic act, they can still cook up a potent death metal brew that is invigorating and entertaining even though it might be the most impressive in the genre.
7.5/10
2003 - Listenable Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Listenable Records website.
After releasing the brutal and critically acclaimed 'Depopulate' album, Vile have suffered a fair bit of line-up turmoil, with original vocalist Juan Orteaga leaving to pursue a career in recording and engineering, and more recently guitarist Aaron Strong jumping ship. So, it seems that the likelihood of a new album coming out any time soon is around the same as the likelihood of Saddam Hussain being presented with the Congressional Medal of Honour. Presumable realising this, but loathe to let the buzz from 'Depopulate' fizzle out, Listenable records have re-released Vile's debut album, 1999's 'Stench Of The Deceased', remastered and complete with bonus demo and live tracks.
This is still a pretty impressive slice of Florida-style brutality, featuring technical yet memorable riffage, seriously sick low-growling vocals, blasting drumbeats and subsonic bass grooves. While not as fast and intense as Aborted, or quite as technical or sophisticated as Monstrosity, Vile manage to craft an entertaining album of unremitting heaviness, particularly personified in the midsection to 'Surgery', with the crawling heaviosity of the riffs creating an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere before a faster section comes in that introduces a great death metal mosh breakdown.
The bonus materials are well worth the asking price too, even if you already own the disc in it's original incarnation - live versions of 'Severed', 'Surgery' and album highlight 'Alive To Suffer', as well as a track from Vile's 1996 'Unearthed' demo, 'Processions Of Destruction'. The live tracks are exceptionally well-mixed, sounding as clear and precise as the studio versions, and in one of them you can clearly hear the cry of 'MEEETAAAAALLLL!' from one exuberant audience member, which raises a chuckle.
So, while Vile may not a particularly individualistic act, they can still cook up a potent death metal brew that is invigorating and entertaining even though it might be the most impressive in the genre.
7.5/10
