A Leftover - Vomiturition(1995)

A Leftover - Vomiturition(1995)

Invasion Records

Death Metal

I came across this record a few months ago while going on an old-school death metal binge. I was drawn to the record because it was apparently a gem, and had the same drummer from Swallow the Sun and Wintersun, so I figured it must have some good rep. And it certainly, certainly does. It’s chock full of riffs akin to what the Swede death scene was coming out with, as opposed to what you’d hear from their home country of Finland at the time. The record definetly holds a very modest torch towards bands like Dismember, Necrophobic, and Unleashed, but with a hint of progressive à la Atheist that is perfect for anyone trying to find a great old-school death metal or Swede death record.

The guitar work on this is great, and as I mentioned is fairly reminiscent of the Swedish style. The riffs have that muffled, rusty-razor-blade-like guitar tone empowering their crushing riffs. Not to mention that Vomiturition throw in their own unique melodies and sinister guitar leads that make the guitar work absolutely addictive. The riffs bounce between catchy and melodic (almost proto-melodic death metal even) and punishing death metal violence, effectively fusing together all the best parts of the early ’90s Swedish scene. The solo work and lead guitars are great, blowing through whirlwind solos and dual lead bits like they owned them personally. The bass work is sufficient, although not as prominent as it could be; it makes itself known here and there and makes a somewhat noticeable difference to the music. The drumming is great, utilizing all the necessary conventions to get the job done, and also adding a mildly jazzy bit into the performance, making everything that much more interesting. The growls are pretty good, being somewhat similar to Entombed’s vocals, but also going into extremely deep gutturals that more recent bands utilize.

Lyrically, the theme Vomiturition seem to centre around is society—hatred of society and the malignant traits it possesses. Subject matter includes taking the viewpoint of the homeless and other social rejects, with some allusions to human extinction and suicide. A lot of hateful, aggressive, and chaotic moods are enhanced due to the harsh lyrics and heavy riffs, while also syncing well with the somewhat depressive, hurt, and melancholic feelings the more melodic riffs evoke. Perfectly mixed sound and levels (the odd symphonic pieces mixing in perfectly) and almost progressive structuring leave this record as an engineering masterpiece that doesn’t sound like a band’s one-off piece, which it unfortunately was.

It always annoys me, whenever I find these death metal gems, that none of these bands really stick around past their debuts. It’s understandable—people move on—but the fact that all these guys are still decently active within their scenes has me wishing they’d come back together, as this material is good enough to have them on a level with Dismember and Entombed, and is just as unique. All in all this is a great record for anyone looking for old-school death metal, Swedish death metal, early melodic death metal or just a good damn death metal record overall, so check this out. I know, it’s hard to spell... 8.5/10

Best songs: Sacred Tree The Pain, Malleus Maleficarum, Head Tales, A Beast Revived