Texan blasphemers Whore Of Bethlehem are back again to bring upon the apocalypse.
Formed in 2009 in Austin (TX), Whore Of Bethlehem is a showcase of unrelenting blackened death metal.
Following up their last two albums, 2014’s “Upon Judas’ Throne” & 2017’s “Extinguish the Light” shows that it has been some time since the band has released new material. But luckily that is about to change.
2023 sees the release of “Ritual Of Homicide”. 10 tracks of blasting unbridled black-soaked death metal.
A lone guitar’s slow picking drenched in gain & reverb opens “Enlightenment Through Pain” before the band erupts into tremolo strumming with a black metal-influenced opening section before turning into hammering blast beats & palm mute chugging.
Whore Of Bethlehem is a tight unit. Vocalist James VanDenBerg’s range is a real death metal vocal showcase. Mixing low growls with screaming highs gives the band different shades & keeps VanDenBerg from being monotone. Giving me glimpses of Glen Benton & Dave Suzuki, which also would be a great way to give the overall feel of Whore Of Bethlehem. Mixing the tunes of Deicide, Vital Remains & Morbid Angel with their own Taxan death metal flair.
Tracks like “Vermin” are nonstop examples of great fast, technical but hooky blackened influenced death. The older Behemoth mixed with Nile on this track makes it a furious assault. Drummer Sam Axelrad is a methodological yet raw drummer. No one blast feels out of place. His double kick patterns & constant barrage is phenomenal.
One of the best showcases for the talent within Whore Of Bethlehem is the axe wilding team of Ryan Sylvie (Guitar),
Phil King (Guitar) & Alan Berryman (Bass). Now for a lot of bands, the blackened death metal sound could get very repetitive & overly complicated. But Whore Of Bethlehem’s songwriting & structure of songs is exciting, unique & honestly left me perplexed. Some of the riffing sections & patterns the band have come up with are hooky, punishing & total earworms.
Another treat is the inclusion of a 2022 single the band released “Pseudochrist”. Which is a lean & mean track. Some of the best chugging patterns & melodic elements the band have brought to the album. It’s a great inclusion.
“Ritual Of Homicide” i can say is a fantastic album. I found myself returning to the album again & again, finding more layered guitars, slight guitar riffs & focusing on the drum performance. This album hits both marks, for the fans of straight up great slightly tinged death metal & fans of the all out blackened death metal of the 00’s.
If you’re looking for the new generation that is holding the torch for brutal as hell blasphemic death then Whore Of Bethlehem are it!
Ritual Of Homicide Is Out Via Comatose Music On March 24th 2023
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Tracklisting:
1 – Enlightenment Through Pain
2 – Nails In Your Coffin
3 – Ritual Of Homicide
4 – Vermin
5 – Gateway
6 – Sermon Of The Malignant Spirit
7 – Out Of Body
8 – Disembodied
9 – Monolith Of Cremation
10 – Pseudochrist
Line-up:
James VanDenBerg – Vocals
Alan Berryman – Bass
Ryan Sylvie – Guitar
Phil King – Guitar
Sam Axelrad – Drums
Further Information:
www.whoreofbethlehem.com
www.facebook.com/wobethlehem
www.comatosemusic.com