Deity Down Records (2009)

Holland's Vermin play brutal Death Metal. The promo sheet says they are inspired by Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Deranged and personal heroes of mine, Blotted Science, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse and Hate Eternal. And while they play pretty standard brutal Death Metal, there are a couple of songs that stand out and sometimes you distinctly notice their influences.

Let's start with the negatives: I don't like the sound of the drums. They sound generic, with the double-bass too loud. The guitars and bass are very prominent in the mix which the vocalist uses to drown out his vocals, listening attentively you will hear that he is no Corpsegrinder: His grunts remain in mid-range (though sometimes lower mid-range, gotta give him that) and there is just not enough texture in his voice. Sounds generic. I guess owing to The Dillinger Escape Plan influence, he sometimes screams in a metalcore style, which is sad because the rest of the band makes an effort to sound brutal and he undermines their efforts.

Ok, now the positives: Guitarist Wolf obviously is responsible for the Morbid Angel reference, his solos follow in the footsteps of the great Trey Azagatoth and are a high point of each song. And if Wolf is the Morbid Angel Guy, then the other guitarist, Ron, is the Blotted Science guy. Both have to develop their own style though.

For the neutral: Some riffs are really catchy, headbang-inducing, others are lame. Pretty much 50-50 balance for each.

A last look at the lyrics confirm my suspicion that their vocalist is no good, because they suck, too. Generic talk about hate and vengeance being his nucleus mixes with the spasmodic use of complex words, all in all uninspired and generic.

In summary, I can say that there is a lot of potential in this band, if only they would review their material a bit more, develop their own style and rethink their message. Blotted Science have shown that good Death Metal doesn't need vocals (hint!). I have mixed feelings about this particular release and will give it 3 stars for the good solos and the groovy rhytms, but will not give any more because of the shitty vocals and the sometimes lame riffs.

www.verminband.nl
www.myspace.com/verminnl
www.deitydownrecords.com

Composed by Bollverk