Release year: 2023
Label: Xtreem Music

With a name like Funeral Vomit, there’s no need to guess what these Columbians are about. Oh yeah: death metal. And taking a look at the cover, it’s easy to pinpoint their stylistic trappings even more accurately. Old school death metal.

Well, no surprises in this bag, then. Because raw, heavy old school death metal is exactly what is on offer on Funeral Vomit’s debut album – just as promised by the outer trappings. So let’s find out what the band amount to…

It’s instantly obvious that these guys have listened to and learned their old school death metal. The label throws around names like Infester and Autopsy in the promo letter, and even though I’m hesitant to draw any comparisons especially to the latter, it does provide a ballpark.

Gruff, heavy, cavernous and primitive are words I’d describe Monumental Putrescence with. The vocals are a completely undecipherable, deeply guttural growl laden with effects. The riffs are straightforward and neanderthal. The drumming is violent hammering, not giving nods to technicality or too much flair.

Straightforward stuff, in other words.

And stylistically, Funeral Vomit are all right in my book. They nail that murky, crude old school vibe well.

Sadly, it’s not all joy. The songs aren’t very memorable at all. There are no riffs to write home about, no killer solos, nothing to distinguish this track from that. It’s all this samey kind of vomit-infested mass. This means that though the album is quite enjoyable to listen to, it doesn’t necessarily have much lasting appeal.

And the sound doesn’t help things. The vocals are too loud in the mix, the guitars should definitely pack more punch and the drums sound like a hollow plod much too low in the mix. The sound isn’t disastrous in itself, but it does accentuate the shortcomings in the songwriting department.

As such, Monumental Putrescence is a decent but somewhat forgettable tribute to the earlier days of death metal. It will certainly hold some appeal to rabid death metal maniacs, but the lack of memorable tracks will unltimately relegate this to gathering dust.

Still, it’s only the band’s debut. Turning in an above average piece of death metal rot for a debut is not something to scoff at. Flaws and all, Monumental Putrescence is good enough to make me interested in the future doings of Funeral Vomit.

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