Review: Vøidwomb “Altars of Cosmic Devotion” [Iron Bonehead]

Short and sweet, Altars of Cosmic Devotion is the first release from Portugal’s VØIDWOMB, and what a promising EP it is.

Tension is something of a rarity in death metal as we are usually assaulted from the get-go, and if you want atmosphere you’re looking at a different genre altogether, but VØIDWOMB do a great job of combine both on their intro track along – creating a dark atmosphere with ritualistic chants on top of low synths and deep thuds, they set off at low-tempo jog with warm, grooving chugs that develop into an off-kilter canter to, you guessed it, a thunderous gallop.

Self-titled as a blackened death metal band, the vocals could be interpreted as either but there’s no mistaking the black metal influence on third track Descent to Ersetu, with the all-familiar honk of a jaunty synth. Architects of World Demise is another lesson in tension building and sounds right out of Morbid Angel’s Blessed Are the Sick catalogue, beginning with a nice slow intro that trade places with blast beats at a 350 BPM. The drumming for the first minute of title track Altars of Cosmic Devotion is a little unimaginative and sticks in the ears a bit, and there are no solos to speak of, which is a shame as they would have been an insight into how they might develop as band later on. Other than that, the drumming is sturdily intricate, the vocals fierce yet subtle, the riffs addictive. The band don’t put a foot wrong and the studio work may be a little on the safe side, but this is a solid riff fest for those who just want some good, old-fashioned chugs to nod along to.

Release date: February 19, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/Voidwombband