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Strigoi - Viscera review




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7.4
Band: Strigoi
Album: Viscera
Release date: September 2022


01. United In Viscera
02. King Of All Terror
03. An Ocean Of Blood
04. Napalm Frost
05. Hollow
06. A Begotten Son
07. Bathed In A Black Sun
08. Byzantine Tragedy
09. Redeemer
10. Iron Lung

I feel it. All of it. I feel it beneath my skin, I feel it deep in my viscera. The music is asphyxiating and bone-crushing. Viscera bathes me in a black sun and leaves me lost in an ocean of blood.

It's an interesting exercise to properly categorize the genre of Strigoi. There's the devastating heaviness of funeral doom and sludge, along with large doses of atmospheric, experimental death metal. In addition, fast-paced punk and crust energy made a prominent appearance on their previous album, Abandon All Faith.

On Viscera, the band's sophomore release, they've overall slowed down that style. While instances of faster punk and thrashy elements can still be found in the short, snappy songs like "Napalm Frost" and "Redeemer", this album spends the majority of its time on the bleak, doom-influenced heaviness. It's a style akin to death metal bands like Asphyx, Chthe'ilist, and Sulphur Aeon, but also slightly reminiscent of the Lovecraftian soundscapes of Blut Aus Nord. There's an air of uneasiness - a lurking fear.

Indeed, Strigoi chose a very fitting name for this piece of music. Listening to those slow, oppressive riffs evokes a true visceral sensation. The building tension of the guitars creates a haunting ambience on the edge of dissonance, accentuated by the backdrop of ominous drums.

However, not only the instruments contribute to the eerie experience. The phenomenally crafted lyrics paint visions of "a boiling sun", "rivers of ice", and "raining hellfire". Whether it's describing "a remnant of the fallen idol mourning absence of no tomorrows", "a vast empire of ash and dust", or being "isolated and outcast upon sand and broken stone", each song plays a part in the suffocating darkness of Viscera. Add to that Gregor Mackintosh's flawless vocal performance - his deep, resonant voice seemingly emanates from some far reaches of the abyss.

Once again considering the wider context of their discography, Abandon All Faith had songs containing a wild and reckless energy that is a bit lacking in its successor. While this might be disappointing to some fans of their punk style, Strigoi's decision to focus and streamline their doom side on Viscera demonstrates a great evolution of their style and makes for a rewarding listen for both old and new fans.

So join me as I sit back, close my eyes, turn up the volume, and crack a grim smile as I'm "cataclysmically led… into the night"!





Written on 14.10.2022 by The sign of good music is the ability to both convey and trigger emotion.


Comments

Comments: 17   Visited by: 166 users
14.10.2022 - 22:59
Rating: 8
AndyMetalFreak
A Nice Guy
Great album, excellently written review
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14.10.2022 - 23:31
Starvynth
i c deaf people
I held Abandon All Faith in my hands a few months ago and almost purchased it, just because Greg Mackintosh is great is God, but ultimately the debut was a tad too unspectacular for me. It just didn't klick.
I haven't listened to the sophomore yet, but your review gave me a taste for it, so I'll give it a shot right away.

Welcome to the front page!
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signatures = SPAM
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15.10.2022 - 00:28
nikarg

Welcome to the front page! I like your style a lot, but you already know that. One little remark: how can you mention "Napalm Frost" without saying that it is the love-child of Napalm Death and Celtic Frost? In my opinion, the trio of "Napalm Frost" - "Hollow" - "A Begotten Son" is absolutely insane and shows how diverse and gorgeous death metal can be.

Written by Starvynth on 14.10.2022 at 23:31

Greg Mackintosh is great is God

Amen.
And it's not just Greg's guitar, the vocals are absolutely monstrous too.
Among the three Vallenfyre and the two Strigoi albums, this one is his best work for me.
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15.10.2022 - 00:41
Blackcrowe

Great review
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Maybe as his eyes are wide.
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15.10.2022 - 06:32
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Congrats on doing what I could not: reviewing Strigoi without mentioning Vallenfyre.
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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15.10.2022 - 08:55
Rating: 8
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
Written by nikarg on 15.10.2022 at 00:28

Welcome to the front page! I like your style a lot, but you already know that.

Thank you, you are too kind
Quote:

One little remark: how can you mention "Napalm Frost" without saying that it is the love-child of Napalm Death and Celtic Frost?

Oh! that's a good point! The name did seem to give me a feeling of deja vu, but I haven't listened much to those bands, so that's probably why I didn't make the immediate connection.
Quote:

In my opinion, the trio of "Napalm Frost" - "Hollow" - "A Begotten Son" is absolutely insane and shows how diverse and gorgeous death metal can be.

The diversity and flexibility of death metal is truly something wonderful and is one of the main reasons why I might call it my favorite subgenre. I've lately been exploring lots of black metal though, so it was nice coming back to some metal of the death variety
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15.10.2022 - 13:19
Rating: 10
prnzokoshiroltra

My Strigoi countereview -

"Strigoi. why?

WHY NOT!! havest thou not gander'd listlessly at the might ov tha mad ill 'Peaceville Thr33' ? forsooth, thou art a veritable walking outrage up in this! get the hell off Heimdall's bridge!! go crank thy Bose-O speakers with the unspeakable vocally-deteriorated Bloodbath album!! (Nick, for the last time - I'm talkim about Jonas' vox! what, you're the vocalist?? since when?!? I thought you were like... err... added... uhh percussion samples Yes - there we go! and btw BOOO Anders Nystrom BLAKKHEIM SUX!!! go back to Krapa-Klone-ia or Die-a-folly-cal Ass-Parade!! noenvy really seriously I'm more secure than my Depends diaper product infatuation! but that's another [unbearably bad] story)

In summation, this album ends up being more than the sum of its parts or some inevitable cliche black-hole of equal or lesser (and lesser) value.

I did not mention Vallenfyre in this review! wait... or did I?? ughh gotta scroll all the way upp bleh lost my McDonald's coupons/stray dogs are folllowing me/dropped my tablet in the sewer grate/got caught tryin to steal the tip jar at Subway while ordering sandwich oils that would send me to the hospital and then to jail wtf am I on ab00T

Reviewer Score: N/O"

...but yea seriously F3ynman2000 - well done man! always admire when someone can write a helpful, compelling synopsis of a concise yet complete nature (which is the bane of my existence - too much attention deficit or not enuFFz... ok perhaps only the latter in recent posts )
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No one can fend off 100 multi-colored Draculas
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15.10.2022 - 14:41
Rating: 8
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
Written by prnzokoshiroltra on 15.10.2022 at 13:19


...but yea seriously F3ynman2000 - well done man! always admire when someone can write a helpful, compelling synopsis of a concise yet complete nature (which is the bane of my existence - too much attention deficit or not enuFFz... ok perhaps only the latter in recent posts )

Thanks for reading the review, I'm glad you liked it! You have quite the unique flair of writing
You mentioned the Peaceville Three and Bloodbath. I've listened to a couple of their albums, but haven't really delved deeper. Do you have any recommendations for this death doom style?
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15.10.2022 - 15:49
Rating: 10
prnzokoshiroltra

Many of the more... uncompromising death or death/doom fans prefer Peter Tatgtren's (sp?) turn on the mic on their sophomore offering Nightmares Made Flesh (2004)... that ripping high-scream he is almost as known for as Akerfeldt's clearly intelligible low growl (well, Mikael is not really known for that now lol he's now known for NOT doing it - among other things, arguably ha *cue Radu giving me a verbal thrashing for underestimating the powers of Heritage's derivative, stilted, ineffectively paced, contrived, uhh err flabbermagasticated [OK so it's a not-so-bad opening salvo foray into prog rock revivalism where I realized I accidentally took home the restroom key from the doctor's office... anywheyz =D] )...

...and Mr. Akerpeth is that would-be counterpoint on Bloodbath's preceding debut with the most focus on the early 90's Swedish death trademark buzzsaw riffing (one of the best trademarks in all of the death metulz world, to me ) Resurrection through Carnage (2002) and the strangely self-aggrandizing third offering The Fathomless Mastery (which has an EP shortly before it - Unblessing the Purity - better than the Fathomless Mastery album it is the opening act for!)...

so TFM, yea - a semi-experimental grower with a bonafide 'Katatonian' breakdown in one of the later tracks! if that's spoilers then golly mcgee whiz sowwy o_O but my laptop keyboard has not been utterly obliterated quite yet, so I continue against my best (and worst) judgement...

...here is where the trendster deathdoom squad takes over the whole Bloodbath operation as Nick Holmes from Pair-of-Dice Frost steps up as the defacto vocalisto for uhh... Blood...bath...-o? [c'mon prnz ditch spinnin the wheels n get to the point you abstract-obsessed wankwad] ...and many an ear will note the wear n tear on Holmes' still-cool-ta-me Vincent Price-vibed syndicated rerun horror intro Elvira/ Count Cool Rider (The Vamp restaurant/disco is wut'z up bruh!) camp-cheese legendary iconoclasm blip/spasm uhh... what was I talkin about virtually 45 min ago? o... ok moving yawn I mean oNNN - long story long...

last 3 albums are Holmes n Kata-homeys doin impotent yet endearing trifecta triumvorate trilogy trials (hails to a-shitt-eration) in the forms of Grand Morbid Funeral (2014), The Arrow of Satan is Drawn (2018) and Survival of the Sickest (2022)... it's basically like a basketball interview - "they wanted to do good, they went out there to do good, they felt good, they tried to do good and uhh... yea I think they did good!" ~Fini~ my nonsense is copywronged so bite my rhymez n FACE the WRATH of my LAWYER!! better call Paul! hey STOP throwing rotted cabbage onstage or FACE the WRATH of our HEAD JANITOR on PAROLE!! ok ok hope that longwinded recommendation helped ya hehe apologies for my overblown incoherence... bad joke filter coming soon (nooooOOOOOOOO!!! my very livelihood!!)
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No one can fend off 100 multi-colored Draculas
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15.10.2022 - 16:20
Rating: 8
F3ynman2000
Nocturnal Bro
Written by prnzokoshiroltra on 15.10.2022 at 15:49

ok hope that longwinded recommendation helped ya

Thanks for the detailed overview
I had listened to their debut and found it pretty good IIRC. Well, onto the rest of their discography for me - Bloodbath awaits!
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15.10.2022 - 17:35
Rating: 10
prnzokoshiroltra

Here's my personal scores for each Bloodbath album:

Resurrection through Carnage - 8/10
Nightmares Made Flesh - 8.5/10
Unblessing the Purity EP - 8/10
The Fathomless Mastery - 7.5/10
Grand Morbid Funeral - 7.5/10
The Arrow of Satan Is Drawn - 7/10
Survival of the Sickest - 7/10

last 3 albums rocked
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Hagetisse - De verminkte stilte van het zijn
Melvins - Bad Mood Rising
Amaurot - ...to Tread the Ancient Waters
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No one can fend off 100 multi-colored Draculas
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15.10.2022 - 17:40
Netzach
Planewalker
Welcome to the front page, Mr. Feynman!
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15.10.2022 - 20:56
Rating: 10
Rulatore

Written by RaduP on 15.10.2022 at 06:32

Congrats on doing what I could not: reviewing Strigoi without mentioning Vallenfyre.

While I remember enjoying them a bit above average, I didnt even remember Vallenfyre existed while listening to Strigoi... maybe I'll try it later, but this is on another level
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16.10.2022 - 09:53
DarkWingedSoul

So far i still like the debut better. but ofc time will tell.
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16.10.2022 - 14:43
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Good reviev man, keep on writing
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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21.10.2022 - 16:11
Qualeen

Well written! And I will concede that this review has made me want to check this album out asap... Well played!
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So imminently visible - this cloaked innocent guilt
Sentenced to a lifetime, a second of structured chaos
Trampled by the ferocious, raging crowds of solitude
I'm the soil beneath me soaking up the sustenance of my own death.
[Meshuggah]
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07.01.2023 - 03:40
Rating: 7
tintinb

Amongst all the genes mentioned here, I will also like to add black metal as well.
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Leeches everywhere.
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