Huddled in cyclically slimed cadaveric vore-loop and passing blood-drenched bones from end to end Germany/Mexico-based black metal act VORAGO craft an ouroboric course through grinding and thrashing death mutilated formae on this ruggedly infectious debut EP. Rallying around raw and bestial thunder-toned unleash yet bound by precision hands ‘Morulus‘ manages to avoid the dry flippancies typically reflected in war metallic adjacency and instead finds satisfyingly primal points of attack within its curation. Beyond abyss-fed and reckless mutation of forms their handle upon the riff is -the- killing blow to be felt within this introduction.

A band that exists. — Beyond a suggestion of geographic origins no head count or identification is available at present and as such Vorago escape any potential provenance and/or humanity via anonymity. Though this neuters the non-essential context of their music and halts any further conversation that might help their form of bestial black metal stick in mind it ultimately forces the eyes and ears as primary conduit for inculcation. What can be witnessed on sight is a mangled illustration, a red vortex of (potentially AI generated and scribbled over) bodies in huddled mass. Titling suggests a great chasm, the characteristic of blackness and void, and song titles read as reactive violence and ominous diaboli. The music beyond sightlines is tempestuous and consuming as suggested but almost immediately swings its heft into black metal grooves which reveal grindcore/hardcore punk underpinning.

This type of growling escalation, as heard on opener “Torquemada” is natural to both death and black metal’s most simplistic (or, nascent) motivation under duress of extremity and splits the difference between the best of moderne chunked-up bestial black/death metal and the sometimes rocking sneer of bands like One Tail, One Head and Katharsis as if indirect descendants of groups like Sadistik Exekution and Order From Chaos. The follow up to this droning, nauseated wave to form is a quick war metal piece (“Raedern”) which ventures more directly into hardcore punk structuring as it details (I believe) the process of being ‘broken on the wheel’, a grand old form of public torture ’til death. Cleanly presented and precision cut without losing any radiation-frayed edge the band’s work is unhindered by sloppier guitar gestures one’d typically associate with this form of black metal per a remarkably coherent barrage.

Some manner of late 80’s death metal inspired wheeling does eventually feature on the ride through Vorago‘s ~31 minute haul where key progressions found in “Impetus to Burn” and “Negative Response” highlight the end of Side A. This’d been some of the most effective work from the band per my own taste alongside a few doomed, deathlike riffs to be found on the underworld-facing closer/title track (“Morulus”) but all of these occur embedded within the slime and grime of bestial black metal. Otherwise a few moments of emergent vocal expression (see: “Torquemada” @ 2:47 minutes in) and a high rate of action keep the full listen blowing past with some notable interest. “Blutkelch” is probably the biggest highlight from Side B for my own taste, a fast thrashing piece which resembles all key elemental points of fusion found on ‘Morulus‘ alongside a ‘Morbid Tales‘-copped riff which burns all else down.

There is enough swagger available here to carry the experience and it ain’t exactly void of riffs so, ‘Morulus‘ is certainly not void of entertainment value via its cockish, diabolic patternation. In this sense Vorago manage to make a strong first impression with their fondling of what most would consider a well-wrung and over familiar medium and this comes down to detailed and expressive handling of black metal ‘tude, timbre and attack. As a first statement it is surprisingly gripping work and well worthy of some manner of repeated spins. A moderately high recommendation.

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