Artist: Vomitory
Country: Sweden
Label: Metal Blade Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
There is something special about Vomitory. It’s not about their level of sophistication, or how they’re pushing the envelope of Death Metal. it’s the chopping and relentless full-speed Death Metal formula, that’s catchy to the bone and instantly recognizable. It costs absolutely no effort to listen to them and is pure joy from start to end, no matter how many tracks you play in a row. When the band returned in 2023 with ‘All Heads Are Gonna Roll’ they sounded forceful as ever, matching the energy of the band’s classic material. And on ‘In Death Throes’ the band continues that relentless crusade.
While there are a few ripping solos here and there, the band mostly operates under a vision of no pretenses and frills, just pure catchy Death Metal. But despite that the band embraces a pretty uniform formula, perhaps the greatest quality is that they still manage to keep every song interesting. ‘Rapture in Rupture’ is a typical bursty and waltzing Vomitory track, relentless in pace with a few melodic solos as the proverbial icing on the cake. The more midpaced chopping start of ‘For Gore and Country’ is just as delightful, but as always the band pushes the gas pedal within no time. Merciless is the pace in ‘Forever Scorned’ while in ‘Wrath Unbound’ the song is driven by a melodic riff and rolling backbone. Title track ‘In Death Throes’ has a catchy sing-along lyric part, while it’s the melodic accompanying riff progression in ‘Cataclysmic Fleshfront’ that accents the chorus and provides the hook. The rolling percussion and ugh that start ‘Two and a Half Men’ are just perfect, and so is the crushing end. ‘The opening bass line of ‘Erased in Red’ is delightful and the band builds from a Thrashy melodic riff to a fullblown violent outburst as the song progresses. Pummeling on through ‘The Zombie War General’, the closing ‘Oblivion Protocol’ has a bit more melody and a slight epic touch, but as with every other song, sounds undeniably like Vomitory.
This is not a complicated record that you need to listen to several times to get its true intent. What you see is what you get, and it’s clear from the get-go that ‘In Death Throes’ does not move an inch from their trademark sound. There is really not that much difference between this latest album, the predecessor, or my favorite album by them, 2002’s ‘Blood Rapture’. If you love the band, you will love this album and continue to go back to it. And if you never cared for them, this won’t change your mind. No doubt the band had no intentions whatsoever to try anyway. The consistency, the belief in the Vomitory formula, and the clear talent to continue to churn out one banger of a track after another within that restricted formula makes Vomitory a band to cherish. Fun, unpretentious and relentless Death Metal that is hard to get enough of!
