I went into this review with absolutely no knowledge of Vorum or any of their past work. Looking at the album cover, they could be anything from Nile-esque death metal, to Deathspell Omega-style Black Metal, or perhaps even something more progressive like The Ocean. And in a way, if you were to mix in flavors of Goatwhore and Incantation, Poisoned Void resembles a combination of all the above. It only took me a single listen to realize that Vorum is the Death Metal to look out for in 2013.
Don't believe me? Listen to "Impetuous Fires" or "Death Stains" and lose yourself in those riffs! As it should be clear from a lot of other reviews I've done, I'm a real easy sell when it comes to Incantation-style low-end riffs, something Vorum performs with brilliance. Somehow, Vorum manages to play in this style while making the listener feel like he or she is listening to a Mayhem or Marduk record. Check out the faster, power-chord driven attack on "Rabid Blood" to see what I mean. Vorum paints a classic death metal picture, not in the gore-drenched slaughter house of the Floridian masters, or the high-flying melodic glory of the Gothenburg scene, but in the brooding romanticism and ritual-like atmosphere that stands in between the two (think of it like this: listening to it gave me that sudden urge to play one of the Diablo games again). "Thriving Darkness" embodies this ominous feeling perfectly, while the album is well balanced with speed-demon rage-fests like "Evil Seed" and "Dance Heresy". In a way, Poisoned Void sounds very reminiscent of last year's Error, from Belgian death-metal act Emptiness. Yet this album seems more measured, more consistent and engaging, especially with P'J's excellent mid-range growls and tales of terror.
If I had to pick two words that embody Poisoned Void, I'd have to go with: dark satisfaction. Technically impressive without a hint of snobbery, consistent without a single boring moment, classic without being derivative. For a fan of death metal and the genre's potential for painting such vivid scenes of blackened horror, I can't seem to conjure up any substantive complaints here. From what I can tell, Vorum has received little to no coverage in the metal press, let's all drink to seeing that change very soon!
9/10
Favorite songs: "Impetuous Fires", "Death Stains", "Thriving Darkness", "Poisoned Void"
