Viatrophy – Viatrophy (2009)

When I heard that this band had Metalcore influences, I was very cautious since it’s one the genres that I can’t stand, since all releases sound very much alike and the vocal work just makes me want to shoot my self.

So after gathering enough courage start playing this self titled album I hit play and after a flashy into I’m blown away with their brutal Death Metal opening from their second track “Mistress Of Misery”. While the band plays mainly Death Metal you can hear some of the dreaded Metalcore influences here and there but it’s still pretty brutal and technical.

These five Brits manage to mix DM with Metalcore almost to perfection without sounding extremely faggish like most Metalcore does, especially when they have the breakdowns and the faggy clean/harsh vocal arrangements that make me want to puke. Viatrophy never uses the previously mentioned approach they just keep it real with harsh vocals, that do indeed sound very Metalcore-ish but tolerable.

The band’s music is very dense and brutal reminiscing old school Brutal Death Metal but with that modern edge Metalcore sound. And while the dreaded breakdowns are present in this album they are masterfully placed and combine melody to the overall aggressiveness of the music.

“Viatrophy” is one of the most brutal DM releases that I’ve heard in quite a while and it’s also very melodic in some points, showing that the band is not a one trick pony. The band’s versatility to move from brutality into melody is one of their best characteristics and what appeals to me the most of this album. The guitar playing is restless and the drumming is excellent providing great changes in the pace of the songs creating very intrinsic melodies.

The vocals like I mentioned are the weakest point of this release since they feature deep growls that go well with the DM influences, but the harsh screams in my opinion don’t fit very well. Other than this little detail this release will stay on my regular play list for whenever I want to listen to something brutal.

Release: August 25, 2009

Country: England