WITCH VOMIT - Funeral Sanctum (Review)

Written by: Blackie Skulless

While Portland, Oregon’s Witch Vomit have been around for over a decade, picking up bigger attention in the latter half of that decade, it took a while for them to appeal to me. Their brand of death metal focuses on the old school style, sticking to the usual themes of death and gore under a raw and guttural veneer. Normally that jumps right out to me, but for some reason it took the more refined approach of 2021’s Abhorrent Rapture to hook me. From there, the latest Funeral Sanctum seems to have followed suit, striking quite a strong chord.
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As anticipated, much of this follows the same marshy riffing with a cleaner production that doesn’t feel inorganic. Heavy and chunky riffing backed by pummeling drums that tend to coat on an echo with the bass kicks add an extra layer of muck, making it so guitar solos never take too much precedence. In other words, they feel focused without being the star of the show. This allows the rhythms section a little more prominence, which just may be what captures my attention the most.

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Furthermore, Witch Vomit have managed to keep things brief, executing their ideas in swift passages that capture these rhythmic hooks without growing tiresome. “Blood Of Abomination” doesn’t even touch the three minute mark, yet makes a loud statement, shifting riff patterns in several menacing ways while avoiding an awkward delivery. The closing title track is also a favorite of mine, resting on stompier buildups with an erupting vocal cadence, and the slow aura that leads us into the strong chops on “Serpentine Shadows” makes it feel pristine. Even “Decaying Angelic Flesh” following that rides so smoothly, with its strength found in the simpler layout utilizing repetition to its advantage.

If I wasn’t already sold on the band from the latest EP, Funeral Sanctum solidified them as a force I now reckon with. This isn’t to say that the earlier catalog is bad, but sometimes it just takes a few rounds to resonate. Nothing new or groundbreaking was needed, they just simply made something nice with a familiar recipe. Fans of Necrot, Coffin Rot, and the likes should lend it an ear.

Witch Vomit - Funeral Sanctum was released April 5th, 2024 via 20 Buck Spin

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