Rancorum "The Vermin Shrine" CD

In the band’s words the album is “a sordid journey into the ghastly spirit of our world full of things that itches but cannot be scratched”. For this voyage, RANCORUM are looking forward to immerse you in 37 minutes of sheer primal death metal as in those days where the rhythms were spine crushing, the riffs were shuddering and the howls of doom were mind grinding.

I cannot really think of too many CDs of my collection coming from Romania but after having discovered Loud Rage Music (a Romanian label concentrating on releasing extreme metal outputs by Romanian bands and musicians) that is going to change. The first example of what the metal heads from that country are able to produce is also the latest release by said label and an extraordinary example of smashing old school death metal presented with modernized sound qualities.
Rancorum is a five piece death metal combo attacking the listener with two guitarists and this greatly pays off. Hard hitting trademark chords are pitched against mesmerizing and at first glance slightly disharmonic-sounding melodies creating an unholy force of destruction. The main chops are mainly reminiscent of the classic US bands like Morbid Angel or Monstrosity but there are also influences from some Swedish heroes (Grave in particular) and a few hints of their Eastern European peers. While most songs are kept in mid-tempo or faster regions Rancorum have not forgotten to include some slower parts in which the music is crawling out of the speakers like a reanimated corpse. In those moments the atmosphere gets very dense and sinister leaving the listener with a slightly uneasy feeling.
The songs are cleverly constructed with the right balance of straight forward and steamrolling parts and some more sophisticated pieces lending each track its own character. Tempo and rhythm changes can be found in each song but they are placed with a great feeling for the timing and the flow of the album. Although the music being quite technical in places there are tons of hooks making “The Vermin Shrine” an album being easily enjoyable for any death metal fan. Longer and shorter solos work as transition between the various parts helping to link the different pieces of each song.
The growling delivered by singer Ravager is deep but he is using his pipes in a way to make the lyrics perfectly understandable. In my books this is always a plus as I am fan of brutal and aggressive yet clearly articulated vocals.
Another big plus of this album is the powerful production. The guitars are crunchy and the drums have an immense punch. The mix is crystal clear making each instrument perfectly audible without sacrificing a certain level of rawness. Each detail can be fully enjoyed making this album an absolute must-have for any collector of great old-school death metal.

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