Between 2007 and 2011, this supporter of death metal went somewhat astray. As he lost touch with the genre – and music generally – a glut of new talent inevitably appeared in the meantime. Numerous band names were glanced at in passing during this period but rarely investigated with the vigour of yesteryear. When finally he did reconnect with the most imperious musical form known to man, among these vaguely familiar names to have cropped up was Ulcerate. Obviously anyone with more of a brain than I have/had is well versed in the work of these New Zealanders by now. Over the course of three albums, they have evidently expanded the parameters of their technical death metal to create something equal parts distinct and revered. Today, at last, is my chance to sample the delights of Ulcerate on album four, ‘Vermis’.
Intro, ‘Odium’, begins things in ambiguous fashion with its vague rasping guitars and semi-industrial drum beats/blowing swathes of indiscernible background noise. Even the deathlike vocals remain shadowy and distant. The one certainty is a sense of impending doom… It stops. An instant of static. And then utter death metal chaos. Opening track ‘Vermis’ goes extremely heavy on the bass drums as contorted riffs and angered roars surround the listener. Immediately, I am reminded of Hate Eternal although the speed proves less constant (though no less brutal). There’s also a feel of something far more nuanced to it – more along the lines of Morbid Angel or Gorguts. Either way, the opening six minutes are a head-crushing introduction to the world of Ulcerate. Next comes the alienating and obscure ‘Clutching Revulsion’, which demonstrates the band’s skill and subtlety across the board. It’s less a song and more a textured soundscape, as we are gradually conveyed to some stark environment, almost like Neurosis, which transcends audial perception.
‘Weight of Emptiness’, by name and nature, slots right into this analogy. It possesses an inescapable force like that of nature, as ominous, brooding tones morph from hulking beast to swirling mass. Elsewhere, the cold, mechanical atmosphere at the beginning of ‘Confronting Entropy’ evokes a feel of black metal until that hammering double-bass blasting kicks in once more. As on the earlier tracks, the music comes in fits and spurts – a mix of savage outbursts, uncertainty and discordance. Ordinarily I may have found some of the more cerebral moments here a challenge but they are counterbalanced with brute strength and an undercurrent of motion which leaves little room for much sense of stasis or monotony. Yet it’s easy to understand how the breakdown of traditional death metal values might turn off some from Ulcerate’s sounds. Instances like the understated, slightly abstract excursion at the end of ‘The Imperious Weak’ paint an atypical picture, but again, the death metal around it is so terrifying and so monstrous and so accomplished that it works.
By the end of closing track ‘Await Rescission’, we have experienced a bit of everything from the 54 minutes of ‘Vermis’: slow-burning obscurity, utter chaos and flights into majestic extremity. If you are able to immerse yourself in the album and truly shut the world out, then it is a crushing epic. While I naturally can’t say where ‘Vermis’ fits in with the band’s previous material, there are perhaps some comparisons to be made with the new Gorguts in terms of aesthetic approach and inherent skill. This one, however, I have found easier to connect with – perhaps because it’s more immediate in its aggressive aspects or maybe simply because it’s representative of a sound I haven’t quite heard before. Whatever, it’s affecting stuff and highly recommended.
(8.5/10 Jamie)
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