VORUM - Poisoned Void

Finland’s Vorum, a death metal outfit in vein of fellow countrymen Lantern and Funebre, have been working in relative obscurity for quite some time now. Formed in 2006 under a different name (the far more cumbersome Haudankaivaja, or “grave digger” in their native Finnish), Vorum’s catalog is surprisingly sparse considering their seven years of existence. Their first recorded output, the 2009 EP Grim Death Awaits, was a promising debut that clocked in at barely over 20 minutes. On it, Vorum demonstrated their ability to write ferocious, all-killer-no-filler death metal, but stumbled at the prospect of making it memorable.

Thankfully, on Poisoned Void, their first full-length, Vorum have harnessed their ability to write implacable death metal that grabs you by the short hairs and peppered in some much-needed moments of atmosphere as a counterweight. Now, Poisoned Void is far from a straight-forward death metal record with some slow passages shoved in sporadicly. When Vorum reels things in a bit, like in the title-track, the feeling of an unstoppable force coming for you at a thousand miles an hour is replaced seamlessly with the sensation of something horrible making its way to you slowly and deliberately.

When Vorum does operate at breakneck speed, howling and spitting into the void (which is for the vast majority of Poisoned Void’s 35 minutes), guitarists Matti Jalava and Jonatan Johansson give each riff just enough time to resonate with the listener before yanking them back and spewing forth another equally ruthless one. While Grim Death Awaits suffered from a lack of memorability due to the riffs being prematurely drawn back before they could make a proper impact, Poisoned Void finds Vorum striking a remarkable pace. Frantic solos spin into the frame to disorient you before being snuffed out to unearth sickening double-bass churns, like on the fantastic “Death’s Stains”. “Dance of Heresy” lurches forth with a creeping, dissonant riff before Johansson’s curdled bark sends everything spiralling into vicious tremolo lines and utter chaos once again.

Even if sometimes they are holding on for dear life, Vorum finally appear to be in control of their creations, and hopefully their outstanding ability demonstrated on all of Poisoned Void’s eight tracks will get them the respect and recognition they deserve. On Poisoned Void, Vorum have emerged from the shadows with a debut that might just be one of the best metal records of the year. [Woodcut]
- Alexander Jones

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