Successfully making four records in as many years is an impressive feat no matter how you slice it but Ohio black/death metal outfit Venomous Echoes, the product of one Ben Vanweelden, take it a step beyond. Initially forming in 2020, Venomous Echoes began releasing full-length albums in 2023, with the most recent being Ŋvęŧş-Violator of Mater, released earlier this year by I, Voidhanger.

Arriving in September, Ŋvęŧş-Violator of Mater builds on the framework laid on previous albums but pushes it further. Opener “Dysmor Opens” sets the tone with spacey synthesizers, which can be heard layered throughout the album. From there, Venomous Echoes are off to the races, ripping through a collection of songs that plumb the darker, more twisted side of death metal. Produced by Stephen Knapp, who also programmed drums throughout the album, Ŋvęŧş-Violator of Mater is twisting and, at times, overwhelming. The guitars and spastic drum programming create a thick vortex, with the only light coming from the previously mentioned synth parts, as heard on “Æhɔɲ” and “Çịrẹ.” Even the acoustic respite on “Monolith of Purity” is distorted and modified, like a dread-inducing rug pull. 

Like previous albums, Vanweelden uses Venomous Echoes as an outlet to explore real-life trauma and mental health issues. Even if the words he screams, howls and growls aren’t intelligible, the pain and anger in those words is palpable. 

Violator of Mater is out now on I, Voidhanger. If you’re willing to dive into the darkness, it’s one of the year’s most interesting death metal releases. 

The post Listen: Venomous Echoes Explore the Dark Side of Death Metal on <i>Violator of Mater</i> appeared first on Decibel Magazine.