Nightfly Reviewer’s Challenge Selection.

The best thing about these Reviewer’s Challenges is that you often get directed towards an album you may not have otherwise heard. Some of them have been good, occasionally great and of course some not so. As I try to check out all things death metal from the yearly additions here on Metal Music Archives I would have probably got around to Venenum eventually but this has certainly sped up my association with the band. I’m very grateful for it too as this has got to be the best album I’ve heard in a Reviewer’s Challenge from a band I don’t know so far.

Trance Of Death is Venenum’s debut album (though an E.P. was released six years back) and a remarkably mature piece of work considering. Okay the band have previous experience in playing extreme metal in bands such as Abhorrot, Immured and Delirium Tremens (none I’m familiar with) to name just a few but that takes nothing away from the fact that Trance Of Death is an ambitious and skilfully executed album. It obviously hasn’t been rushed, taking as much time as they needed to make the best album possible judging by the lapse since the E.P. The four members, all going by initials, draw on their no doubt considerable experience and have produced a death metal album that isn’t restrained by genre boundaries incorporating most notably black and progressive elements.

The album opens with the instrumental Entrance, a mournful piece dominated by cello. It’s not long though before all hell breaks loose as Merging Nebular Drapes kicks in. Blackened death overlaid with F.S.A’s raspy growl leaning more towards a black than death metal style. The music exudes a haunting menace with dark melodies infused with atmospherics. It’s pretty long at over eight minutes but musical twists and turns and injected with light and shade it doesn’t outstay its welcome. The Nature Of The Ground and Cold Threat are no less compelling following similar lines.

Most of the attention though is bound to be on the three part title track where they really let loose. Between them they add up to over twenty six minutes of the album so it needs to be more than good. Fortunately it is. The first part, Relections hits hard, driven by driving riffs with the now familiar pattern of changes but still has space for a suitably impressive instrumental break. It’s all aided by the production which is powerful, at times cavernous and laced with atmosphere – perfect for this type of stuff. Most surprising is part two, Metanola Journey which is heavily laden with clean guitars and organ. Along with heartfelt guitar soloing and time changes it shows Venenum at their most progressive. Awesome indeed! Just when you think it can’t get any better along comes Part Three, There Are Other Worlds… and is the longest track at just over fourteen minutes. Dynamics are the key here alternating between brutal riffs, cleaner arpeggios and tremolo picked guitar parts with some excellent solos. Much of it is instrumental but interest never is allowed to wander as it constantly shifts through a myriad of changes.

To put it bluntly I’m stunned. Totally blown away by how great this album is. Due to the diversity of influences it’s likely to appeal to fans of most forms of extreme metal as well as prog listeners who don’t mind venturing into heavier territory. Do yourself a big favour and check these guys out soon, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.