REVIEW: VËRMÏNDÖG - Traitorous Ruination
Enter another band from Brooklyn, NY, seems to be a popular place for the good stuff. VËRMÏNDÖG made their triumphant debut in 2023 with their 'Traitorous Ruination' EP, a 5 song slab of old school death metal with a jagged crust edge, and a traditional heavy metal bite that should go over pretty well with all death metal, crust, punk, thrash, and even hardcore fans.
A fun fact about VËRMÏNDÖG - I hadn't even listened to a second of their music when I offered to release this EP for them. I saw a video of a friend and one of my favorite drummers, who happens to also be in Anti-Sapien: Alex Fewell. He posted the video and I said something on the lines of - you fucking rule, let me release this. And here we are!
This EP starts off with a bang. 'Mind Reaper' is a great intro track with some really energizing buildups, a looming and heavy rhythm section that is bound to get the blood pumping, especially with the crust fans. It's got that kick ass, heavy downbeat perfect for throwing human beings around like rag dolls, and stomping all over the place.
'Ground to a Halt' comes next, while the barrel of the gun is still smoking. This track takes a slight detour from that crust heavy first track, offering a bit more of a death/thrash metal experience with more intricate riffing sprinkled throughout, and an absolutely killer solo. Guitar work is on display big time here, and the DÖG really start to show you what they're made of, what they're capable of, and that you're in for more of a treat as the album continues.
Following hard and fast are the next three tracks that all flow so well together it's crazy. The first couple tracks, VËRMÏNDÖG really show you that when it comes to the death, crust, trash - that they're pro's. They weave those influences and genres together, before hitting you hard with 'Mechanical Mediocrity'. Here's where the DEATH METAL chops come in. A loud/sudden intro to the song pulls back the slingshot and soon launches you into some of my favorite riffs/material on the whole album. Some of these death metal riffs truly remind me of 'Nihility' era Decapitated, featuring sharp and frenzied tremolo picking intertwined with some kick ass down beat riffs they've already shown to be masters of. More of this continues on 'Shadowlust', where even some of those death metal riffs will remind you of Cannibal Corpse.
All of this is brought to a deadly spear head on 'Grenade State'. The thrash battle vests go back on, and we're taken back to the 80's with a killer riff reminiscent of the golden era of Slayer, and dare I say, there's even some black metal tinged riffs between these Slayer-like chug/cord riffs. We're treated to yet another killer solo before arguably my favorite part of the entire album - an absolute goddamn clinic on how to write a "circle pit riff". If you're sitting still in your car, office, bedroom etc. while this shit hits, then I don't know if metal is for you...
A super solid EP, from a band I hope continues to pump out music. This EP is available on cassette and limited to 100 copies. Get yours legit right this second, and like VËRMÏNDÖG early so you can brag about them later.