Vermintide hail from Tel Aviv Israel and initially started out as a one man studio project that eventually culminated into the eight song EP, Meaningless Convulsions in 2021 and was apparently somewhat instrumentally cobbled together in the studio. Since the release of the EP, Vermintide have formed into a full-fledged band and have been busy honing their brand of slamming death-grind in preparation for their follow up release. Now, "slamming grindcore" is a first for this blog and while the subgenre tag was something I had come across before, it was not something I really paid much attention to. I always assumed "slam" was some form of heavy metal off chute and it seems that that assumption is not too far off. As I have stated very often before, I do not care for the metal genre as a whole. So my apologies to those who do and find any criticism in my cursory evaluation of its genre categorization, subcategorization and description. Because of this, I had to do some research on approximately what slam metal was. From what I found, slam is more or less Devourment and Suffocation worship: slow palm muted power chords over simplistic drumming usually focused around the double bass pedal with monotonously deep belching vocals. And I did not have to dig very far in my research before running into some very questionable vocabulary and bigoted lyrical content. Apparently a running theme within the genre, but more on how that reflects on Vermintide's Meaningless Convulsions later.
The now current Israeli quartet are comprised half-and-half of members from fellow Tel Aviv band Morgue and Be'er Sheva's Strident. An old school death metal and a thrash metal band, respectively. Vermintide are a bit of a departure from the two bands, yet encompass more than just grindcore. The production on the EP is on the higher side, but not too polished that it's sterilized. This raised production value already puts the band on the new school side of things as far as their slam metal influences are concerned. One of the original claims of old school slam metal was its stripped down approach to a return to true death metal. While the later generation bands included higher production value and more inclusive genre blending, such as deathcore—a common main ingredient in a wide swatch of modern slam. Almost to the point that the two genres can be interchangeable depending on the bands and their specific particularities. Vermintide are of that latter ilk, as strong deathcore influences can be heard on Meaningless Convulsions. And I'm sure the more you listen and critique, the more influences you will undoubtedly unearth.
Sticking with the slam angle, the guitar work is probably going to be the most conspicuous attribute of the band. The guitar, after all, is the make or break of metal. By the genre's basic definition, the guitar gives slam metal its name. Vermintide's guitar work on this EP is understatedly consummate and does a great job at providing those low palm muted chugs while also effortlessly switching to tremelo leading highs and back again. This works well with the band's writing style that includes a lot of ascending/descending riffs and call-and-response riffs. Both a staple of early slam metal, but are given a little more dimension here.
On the grind side of things, we are treated to heavy, crunchy riffs that speed through some of that Strident-thrash overlap and twist and bend among pivoting hardcore transitions. The guitar is doing some pretty interesting things that you won't necessarily hear in a typical grindcore release. Such as varied tempo changes and alarm-like harmonic tones. Some of that is the heavy inclination towards metal and some of that is probably an audibly recognizable trademark style that the band has fostered. My only judgment is that the guitar has that slick "metal" tone. I don't know how to accurately describe that tone, but I know it when I hear it. Not to mention the guitar and drums stereotypically overshadow any sense of a bass guitar in the mix. Yet this is purely and strictly my own biases speaking.
Much like the guitar, the drums are subtle yet central. Finding the balance between slam and grind seems like the difference between blasting on the double bass pedal and blasting on the snare. Vermintide utilize both, but blast beats on the snare are not as prevalent as one might assume on a grindcore or death-grind release. They are there but are not necessarily the bulk of the songs. A majority of them can be heard allocated at the beginning, middle and at the end of the EP. Namely, but not limited to tracks like: "I Vomit," "Lead," and "The Plague." The band however use a combination of the double bass pedal gallops and perpetually systematic snare hits that are semi-automatic and mechanized to keep the pace mobile. While other tracks such as "Don't Look In The Mirror" keep up the snare intensity with rolls and a stuttering, pulsing blast that seems quirky, but keeps things lively. My biggest censure about the drums is their triggered sound. The obviously programmed drums, like any synthetically studio manipulated instrument, are commonplace in the genre, but I feel these simulated drum tracks are less natural than what you might hear in other grind bands that are sans drummer. The snare sounds almost like a snare strike in reverse. Make no mistake, I spend weeks—almost exclusively—listening to these review releases. The snare sound became more apparent the more I listened. Again, this is only my opinion and might not be an issue for most listeners. Grindcore definitely has worse snare drum recordings and infinitely worse studio mixings. I just think it is unfortunate and muddies the blast beats when the grindcore segments really take off.
Vocally, Vermintide deliver their take on the stock grind/slam howler monkey guttural lows accented with distressed highs. They do a good job of servicing the flat depth of slam while avoiding the goregrind gurgles and using that vocal high/low contrast that is almost a must for today's grindcore. In my opinion, Vermintide's most commendable attribute is their lyrics. Every song on this EP has both feet firmly planted in a more left wing, socially conscious, empathetic viewpoint. The lyrics deal with mental health, body dysmorphia, environmentalism and there is no misinterpreting a track named, "Castrate Rapist Scum." As I mentioned in the beginning, slam and death metal have a substantial roaster of misogynistic and homophobic bands and can be even worse within its fanbase. Of course I'm not going to skirt the fact that the punk and grindcore scenes aren't plagued with their own problems with misogyny and abusers. And Vermintide could have easily edged that border or could have been brimming with gore or porno-gore content. Instead they have chosen to voice their opposition towards oppressive political and religious systems. I think the band's misanthropic name speaks for itself. Lyrical critiques do not often make an appearance in the blog, but I feel Vermintide have made more of an effort in making their lyrics openly known. Providing all lyrics on their Bandcamp page in addition to their own website, as well as providing the blog with those links. So obviously this is important to the band and is always something I appreciate and respect.
While I have spent the dominant portion of this review separating and dissecting the band's slam metal aspects from their grindcore aspects, it's best to take Meaningless Convulsions as a whole and not worry about the parts that make up its sum. In spite of my harsh assessment of the production—notably the snare drum—it really does come off as heavy and impactful. The snare hits when not blasting are still so pummeling. I still believe that the metal leanings in the studio didn't do the band any favors. Yet that is solely my own personal opinion. Because, in truth, the EP sounds very professional and is mixed well despite my petty grievances. The production is heavy and lucid which is so important for properly spotlighting the dual spectrum of the guitar.
I could easily see fans in both genres lamenting about Vermintide not being slam enough or metal enough or being false grind. However, hybrid grind subgenres never come with the promise of wall to wall blast beats or have a certain expected ratio of "x" to "y," nor should they. That's not their purpose. They are there to combine the influences of the band and create something both new and representative of the band themselves. Vermintide identify as a mix of slam metal and grindcore and they accomplish exactly that. But the band also achieves much more than that as a one member passion project that Frankensteined together an EP better than a great deal of the releases in 2021. I think Meaningless Convulsions might be a recommended listen for anyone on either side of the genre fence looking for something a little different.
FFO: Exhumed, Whelm, Livid, Ingested
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