VENOM PRISON
Erebos (Century Media)
Erebos, the third studio-LP from Venom Prison, represents such a staggering leap forward for the south Wales death metallers that it feels like a cheat code has been tapped in somewhere. There’s an unchained freedom to the songwriting that was less obvious on the claustrophobic brutality of Venom Prison’s previous records. Evidence of a mature acceptance that they’re too good to be held back by the conventions of genre gatekeepers.
The spray of keys and programmed drums on Pain Of Oizys and the melodic, sweep-picked outro to Comfort Of Complicity, over which vocalist Larissa Stupar howls, showcase a newfound embrace of melody and a wider palette of influences. Technical proficiency has never been in doubt, but the progression in songwriting is what makes Erebos VP’s most impressive release to date. Stupar herself demonstrates evolution in writing and delivery: classical motifs run through acid social commentary, spat out with such force that they threaten to leave a mark.
As much as this is a progressive modern metal album, there are reverent allusions to the past buried within too: the breakdown on Castigated In Steel And Concrete is a clear nod to Dignity Dies First, much-missed Welsh titans who featured VP guitarist Ben Thomas. But at heart, Erebos is a forward-looking record that places Venom Prison at the vanguard of modern metal.
words HUGH RUSSELL
