There’s been quite a buzz about cult of death Vorum of late no doubt making them one of the biggest exports from the Åland Islands off Finland at the moment. They played the UK recently and I am kind of kicking myself for missing them after this latest EP landed in my lap. Before it the group had released another EP, a split with Vasaeleth and a debut album ‘Poisoned Chalice’ in 2013 but the strangely entitled ‘Current Mouth’ proved to be my first proper exposure to them. One thing is evidently clear on pressing play that although only around 18 minutes running time this band featuring ex members of Speedtrap and a Degial player are not fucking about in the slightest.
This is a rabid attack from the start as ‘Angel’s Death’ spews out venom and screams for attention with a feel of completely unbridled chaos at its heart. It has a certain sense of Swedishness about it but also the sort of unhinged menace that one would expect flung up from somewhere remote in South America. It’s pretty damn bestial vocally with things screaming and retching with venomous hatred flung out in wild abandon. Guitars flail all over the shop and drums relentlessly batter away. Underlying melody courses through it obtusely but only those dedicated extremists are likely to find it amidst the melee. There’s hardly pause for breath between these short sharp stabbing attacks and things are fast and furious throughout, don’t go looking for a let up or a doom laden passage here, it’s all about the speed as guitars make a dervish of obliterating winding and grinding sound on ‘Tri Ennial’
I am not sure that you could even call this orthodox and although there is a black intent it does border more on the horrid death worshipping side of things. With it all though Vorum have a sense of uniqueness on the side, there’s no other band you could immediately put your finger on as sounding quite like them. The production here suits things well, sharp and fiery, guitars swarming like an angry nest of disturbed wasps on tracks such as the wonderfully entitled ‘In Grime In Lust.’ The title track has the vocals angrily snarling away and drums barraging with the finesse of a drunken caveman but it all works perfectly in keeping with the utter extremity on offer here. This one does actually get its groove on a bit and some of the riff work reminds a little of Aura Noir, the savagery is never diluted for a second though.
I do have to wonder what it would be like trying to survive a full length album, just five tracks is akin to being thrown into a bed of nails and then dragged through a hedge backwards whilst they are all sticking in your skin. Watch out, Vorum’s current mouth has teeth and they bite hard!
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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