Incessant Affliction: A Brutal Death Metal Odyssey
Vertiginous, an Indonesian death metal duo, has unleashed their sophomore album, Incessant Affliction, a relentless onslaught of brutal death metal that will leave you reeling. With a sound that draws comparisons to early Suffocation, Devourment, and Cannibal Corpse, the album is a teeth-rattling, gut-wrenching experience. But does it deliver an infectiously good time or leave you in a state of collective misery?
The album opens with the track "Suffering, Misery, and Slaughtering," a relentless barrage of tortured vocals, flurries of snare abuse, and lawless stringed onslaught. It sets the stage for the album's violent incursion, with each track roiling with seething intensity. The production is top-notch, pushing everything to the fore, but it's the sonic concussion that truly sets this album apart. It's a calculated bludgeon, not the result of a glossy or careless mix, and even with Vertiginous relentlessly flogging your skull, the album rumbles with a carefully honed depth.
However, the lack of distinction between songs is a bit of a letdown. While the album is only 30 minutes long, there's no peak or passage that sticks with me after "Unclear Misery" fades into the ether. The songs are so similar that it's difficult to differentiate one blood-soaked moment from the next. The bass, in particular, plays a more prominent role in some songs, creating a refreshing dimension that stands out above the pack, but it's not enough to make the album stand out.
Vertiginous's performances are satisfying, with Bima's frog-stomping gutturals churning guts and bowels with seismic malevolence. Prasetyo, meanwhile, handles all instrumentation, impressing with his clangorous drumming. The guitars are suitably chaotic and deadly, although a more focused effort on riff development would go a long way towards solidifying identities for individual songs.
Despite the knocks against Incessant Affliction when evaluated as a whole, taken a song at a time, Vertiginous supplies killer tricks sopping with venomous barbs. I like it more than the score may reflect, but the lack of distinction between songs unfortunately hampers my desire to return to it. Still, I'll be interested in what Vertiginous cooks up next, because their brand of unrestrained brutality evinces a potent batch of death metal. While Incessant Affliction doesn't prove as contagious as I'd hoped, the disease is rotten enough for fans to give it a whiff or three.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Comatose Music (https://www.comatosemusic.com/site/)
Websites: Bandcamp (https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/incessant-affliction) | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vertiginousbrutal/)
Releases Worldwide: August 7th, 2026
