Embodying the eternal observer, yet unnamable forces of nature through paradoxical animatism Santa Rosa, California-based progressive death metal trio VILE RITES redirect their concern for the natural world via examination of the temporal limitations of human comprehension, now stepping beyond that which is older than perceived time into our realm of ephemeral, pernicious beings. Destitute by a majority and directionless in myriad modes of self-destruction the delusion which assures mankind of their own profundity and/or perceived immortality is a deleterious mutation, a faux apex survival instinct which’d create a species that no longer understands fear, cannot process despair, and will never see their own demise coming. On their debut full-length album, ‘Senescence‘, these fellowes trip the light fantastic into physical dissolution and broken psyche as their muse grasps biological wilt and the natural corrosion of time through psychedelic progressive death pummel. Tightly wound and brilliantly performed their work is both classics-minded and future-tense, expansive in statement yet centered around bristled-up brutal grooves as centerpiece, enough to perk the ears of ‘old school’ prog-death heads as well as peck at the senses of those seeking new perspectives on death delivered at an utmost standard.

The official iteration of Vile Rites was conceived of as guitarist/vocalist Alex Miletich (Mortuous) moved from the pacific northwest to the North Bay area, taking the name of a non-starter blackened tech-thrash project he’d been working on with a former Gladius bandmate after that band’d more-or-less dissolved. He’d teamed up with drummer Aerin Johnson (Laceration) and began to work on an idea they’ve called “psychedelic death metal” since, a style inspired by atmospheric, technical and progressive forms adjacent to the sub-genre. The line-up was rounded out by the ever impressive Steven Coon (Vektor) who brought key voicing via stellarly bass guitar work that’d naturally suited the tech-thrash muscle memory of the rest of the line-up. If you can recall that far back I was stoked on their debut EP ‘The Ageless‘ (2022) from the moment I’d heard it, giving it high marks in review, and eventually interviewing the band. hearing not only the thrill of its jagged balance of death metal aggression and otherworldly fixation but also seeing some deeper meaning set into their themes. At the time the best comparisons were maybe Aenigmatum, earlier StarGazer and such but in light of ‘Senescence‘ we’ll have to consider that first release a clear sign of greater potential.

At work on this debut full-length for roughly two years and once again handing the keys to Greg Wilkinson @ Earhammer Studio for the full render and recording we find these folks having spent quite a bit more time on the road, joining a few great death and thrash metal bands in the meantime, as well as generally putting this experience (and a bit more studio time) into the bones of ‘Senescence‘. There’d been a violent, rawed edge to the pulse of ‘The Ageless‘, an impatience to its cut which they’ve honed into more stoic moments herein, leaning into the harder stuff in bursts of tunneling violence and focusing even more on the space between, surreal movements which guide us along their path. “Transcendent Putrefaction” probably showcases the juxtaposition between forms best and gives us a bit of the technical-thrashing nausea and wonderment at the same time. It is clear they’ve worked hard on presenting this less congested cadence in style while upholding the crucial attack of death metal as their default mod.

There is more to their presentation here than the trading-off of focused bursts of intricate riffs and glowing, unearthly atmospheric drifts but it is yet an important point of dynamic within these ~40 minutes as they suggest (earlier) Opeth and certain records from Gorguts have fueled the abstraction available to these songs, though these ideals aren’t necessarily cut-and-pasted together. Opener “Only Silence Follows” does a fine job of taking the drawn out, majestic progressions of the former and infusing it into the prog-tech death/thrashing jet of its main riff(s) ensuring we are set out on a journey with thrusters in tow but also one which presents itself with at least some blunt force and shoulders-gripping engagement. If you are a fan of, say, Innana‘s more recent releases there is some similar flex of sharp musicianship yet classic 90’s level brutality in this type of movement and particularly as we step into the more volatile verse grooves of “Senescent” but Vile Rites differentiate themselves pretty quickly beyond this first impression in taking a wildly circuitous route through the piece. This’d been one of my personal favorite pieces on the album for the sake of the absolute swagger they hit in the middle, a sort of quasi-Atheist level of bop without any of that cranked anxiety applied to their movements. The “From This Day Forward” type lead that finishes the song off is a nice touch, whether the reference is intentional or not.

Side A is rounded out, or, given its third highlight worthy moment in a row with “Shiftless Wanderings” + the mid-album transitional ambiance of “Ephemeral Reverie of Eroded Dreams”. This song reminds us that they can just hang and riff showcasing some of that ‘From Wisdom to Hate‘ feeling groove and the boss-level sweep of the basslines as the ride of the song heats up to its mid-point. The verve of the song an its momentum give us a reasonable avenue to appreciate the spacious “live” feeling of the drum render, just enough reverb to its bigger hits which you’ll feel most as the song slows into its final minute or so. The aforementioned “Transcendent Putrefaction” gives us a far more clear view of the rhythm section to start where the bass guitar tone has a percussive snap to its tone but doesn’t lean into the fartier register one tends to associate with progressive death metal, fretless or otherwise.

Side B might me more challenging for the more straight forward death metal enjoyers as this is where Vile Rites begin to cut into more erratic, jammed feeling movements and begin to feed into their more atmospheric tendencies at the same time. Miletich‘s vocals aren’t often the most insistent spectacle, providing a solid and imposing foundation to their death metal sound, but we find his register expanding in these late album moments such as the almost blackened rasps in the final third of “Transcendent Putrefaction” as the band dip back into the almost The Chasm-esque riff territory that’d dominated big parts of ‘The Ageless‘; If I had one complaint about this album’s running order and how it all plays out as an experience it is that the great peak we arrive upon building up to the finale of “Banished the Solitude (Adrift on the Infinite Waves)” reserves a lot of their most unique points of integration, such as their melodic blackened death side, into the slow-drifting but fast kicking drive of this ~11 minute closer. It’d felt like they’d almost saved too much of their poignancy and atmospheric focus for last, taking on a nigh Dream Unending (second album) feeling in the final few minutes of the piece. While it makes for a great song overall the extended, somewhat sentimentally built endpoint didn’t always land for me.

For my own taste Vile Rites had already foreshadowed a world class effort with their debut EP and in that sense ‘Senescence‘ doesn’t disappoint for a second. They’ve gone from somewhat stiff-jointed ‘old school’-tinted progressive death insight towards something decidedly more present in its voice and purposed in movement. To say they’ve come into their own here just yet might be presumptuous, I’m not sure they’re done peeling back all of the layers but, here they’ve managed to sort out one of the best death metal records of the year. I figure there is much more to see from this band now that they are more clearly pointing in the direction of the “psychedelic death metal” style they’d envisioned. In terms of the aesthetic developed here the overall effect is brilliant thanks to the poisoned greens and generally rich colors used for the cover art by Justyna Koziczak, a fitting enough piece which mirrors the album’s richly set textures and at-times furled movement. The imagery is distinct but fitting in that it offers a most clear sign that you’re in the more thoughtful realm of progressive death while the logo does well enough to suggest they’re still a death metal band up front; Overall I’d say we’ve gotten a far more clear idea of what Vile Rites are all about on this debut album and they’ve hit a much higher than average standard for progressive death metal with it. A very high recommendation.

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