Review: Vacuous – In His Blood
Bloody Roar
For death metal in the UK right now, Vacuous are one of the current rising bands in the underground scene. Formed at the end of 2019 by guitarist Michael Brodsky and vocalist Jo Chen, the band started working on material during the pandemic lockdown in 2020 which came in the form of their debut EP, Katabasis. This showed their promising potential and fans were rewarded two years later with the debut album, Dreams of Dysphoria. It was personally for me a strong debut that was one of my favorite death metal albums of that year, displaying their chaotic and consuming atmosphere. Three years later, they’re releasing their second album, In His Blood.
The album opens all guns blazing with the title track, “In His Blood” that is a full-frontal assault of aggression. The momentum continues with “Stress Positions,” showing off how Vacuous can mix up their cavernous and hardcore sides without any sense of mismatch or conflict between both styles. Described as ‘The Cure meets death metal’, “Hunger” is an interesting track in that personally it reminds me a bit more of Morbus Chron’s Sweven. While this does give off a more atmospheric & lighter beginning, the intensity that fans enjoy with Vacuous is still present and the transitions between the intensity & lighter moments both works well together with an aggressive climax to the track.
Jo Chen’s vocal style in this album is just outstanding and dynamic, as the way he delivers them feels fresh while also still being just vicious and gnarly. This is something I’ve always loved about Vacuous’ sound, and it feels like he’s turned it up even more here. “Flesh Parade” continues the dissonant aggression that the band thrives on without halting which makes for a great under 3-minute track. A slightly doomier side to the band’s music is shown off in “Public Humiliation” while maintaining its atmosphere and intensity. The drumming also takes the spotlight on this track, showing off its variety.
“Contraband” is another interesting track that strikes an unsettling feeling, knowing its lyrical theme—the 39 Vietnamese migrants who suffocated in a lorry attempting to come over to the UK. The track also gives the bass some spotlight as well as again showing off the best in Chen’s vocal style in the sense of anger and emotion, given the subject matter. “Immersion” is another ripper in delivering nice riffs and ends with the drummer again showing off his intensity. The album ends with the longest track, “No Longer Human,” containing everything you have heard in previous tracks blended well, which makes for a satisfying closure.
Altogether, Vacuous does a great job with In His Blood, giving their sound a matured evolution while trying out new things without losing their intensity and unique sound. It reminds me a bit of how Carcass progressed when they produced and released Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious. The album takes you on a dark journey which demonstrates how well the band mixes up their atmospheric, cavernous and chaotic sounds throughout each track. It’s hard to say if I like it more or less than Dreams of Dysphoria because I really liked their debut album, but it doesn’t take away that I enjoyed listening to In His Blood. Both of their releases showcase why I find Vacuous to be one of the best bands coming out from the UK for death metal right now.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
In His Blood is out on February 28th via Relapse Records.
