Vomit the Soul - Apostles of Inexpression (Unique Leader Records; 2009)

With Apostles of Inexpression Vomit the Soul have released their second full length and first in five years.This album came out last summer but I'm a little behind the times so I only got it towards the end of 2009 and I've procrastinated in reviewing until now. I really should not have waited so long because this is an excellent album and in my view a step up from their previous album.

Apostles of Inexpression at its base is a stompy, bouncy slam album that Vomit the Soul have filled out with impressive technical flourishes. Every song on this album is well written and there's never a dull moment. The songwriting is very fluid and Apostles of Inexpression avoids the common pitfall of dull "riff salad" type songs that so many brutal death bands fall into when they add technicality to their slam. While listening to it I was trying to think of what song to use as an example of what Vomit the Soul have done well here, but I couldn't choose one because they were all consistently good. In terms of band similarities, Apostles of Inexpression reminds me of fellow Italians Putridity with its stomping grooves and throaty vocals and Human Mincer with its technical heaviness and mystical/pseudo-scientific aesthetic. Vomit the Soul succeeded with a lot of what they were trying to do with this album and it deservingly got into my top ten of 2009.

If there can be some criticism, it's towards the production. Andy found it "sterile" and I can see where he's coming from. The production is pretty clean and the bass is twangy rather than deep and rumbling. I think this works fine with the level of technicality Vomit the Soul display on this record, but if you really prefer raw, dirty, thick production you'll probably have some issues with this album. That said I think most slam fans will enjoy this album.