(written by Islander)
Willowtip Records has announced yet another addition to their stellar roster of bands — the brutal death metal quartet Vulgar Mephitis from Pittsburgh, PA, whose debut album Willowtip will release on September 11th. The name of that album is From Dust, and it follows the group’s 2022 self-titled debut EP.
As you can see, we’re premiering a song from the album named “To Dust“, which in its name seems to logically follow the title of the album. We’ll begin by sharing guitarist Dan Martin’s thoughts about the album, which point the way to what you’re about to hear:
“The main difference in songwriting from the 2022 EP to now would be the addition of myself and Nick Bentzel (drums) stepping into the band, which expanded upon the way songs are structured in general. Previously, the writing process was solely done by Jay Schweinberg (bass) and Jacob Toy (vocals). At the time, the idea was to be a straight up brutal band with linear song structures.”
It should probably come as no surprise that the new Vulgar Mephitis album is far from conventional, “straight up” brutal death metal, because otherwise Willowtip wouldn’t have signed them (there are of course other labels known for trafficking in such stuff, but not this one).
The song you’re about to hear, for example, includes roaring guttural vocals, blistering drums, and its fair share of gut-slugging grooves which provide a way of bolting things together and keeping them on track, but beyond that it’s a mind-boggling spectacle of technically eye-popping performances and the kind of borderline demented songwriting that features riffs and leads which veer off in a multitude of angles and drumming that’s an adventure unto itself. It’s more akin to such groups as Spawn of Possession, Defeated Sanity, and Deeds of Flesh than “bog standard” brutal death.
“To Dust” is fast and vicious, and as noted, it includes heavily booming low-end blows segmented by quick stops and starts, as well as plenty of bullet-spitting and neck-snapping percussion. But it also includes guitars that maniacally writhe, squirm, and squeal, as well as fretwork that darts, shivers, and deliriously swirls. And the fluidly bubbling bass is also pleasingly noticeable.
Equally impressive: as wild, wide-ranging, and discordant as the music is, it’s also a catchy marauder, which becomes apparent on even a second listen.
VULGAR MEPHITIS:
Guitar – Dan Martin
Bass – Jay Schweinberg
Drums – Nick Bentzel
Vocals – Jacob Toy
From Dust was mixed and mastered by Sasha Borovykh at Tsun Tsun Productions. It features artwork by Leon Humphrey (@theosis.design) and layout by Shelby Solomon.
Willowtip will release the album on CD, vinyl LP, and digital formats. For pre-orders check the links below, and also give a listen to the previously released single “Martyr“.
PRE-ORDER:
https://www.willowtip.com/bands/details/vulgar-mephitis.aspx
https://vulgarmephitis.bandcamp.com/album/from-dust
VULGAR MEPHITIS:
https://www.facebook.com/vmdeathmetal
https://www.instagram.com/vulgarmephitis