Album Review: Vomitory - In Death Throes (Metal Blade Records, 2026)
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- 5 min read
Written: 4th April 2026
Until their hiatus, beginning in 2013, Vomitory were responsible for some of the most blistering and incendiary death metal of their era. They returned to the stage in 2017 for a supposedly one‑off show honouring Metal Blade’s Mike Trengert. The overwhelming response led to a full reformation in 2018, followed by a run of shows in 2019 celebrating the band’s thirtieth anniversary. Although COVID disrupted their momentum, Vomitory returned with their first album in twelve years, All Heads Are Gonna Roll, in 2023. Now, three years on, they prepare to unleash their latest offering, In Death Throes. Signifying a change in the line-up, guitarist Christian Fredriksson – who played most of the solos of All Heads Are Gonna Roll – is now a permanent replacement for long time member Peter Östlund. In the band’s words, “Peter just couldn't keep up with the tour schedule, so we parted ways on great terms.”
From the first seconds of In Death Throes, Vomitory are on the attack. Opening track Rapture in Rupture begins with crushingly serrated riffs from Fredriksson and fellow guitarist Urban Gustafsson alongside earthquake inducing percussion from drummer Tobias Gustafsson. Lyrically, it adopts a typically brutal and violent tone, Erik Rundqvist’s vocals delivered with almost manic focus. With vengeance I will cut you down, I show no mercy / I’m only here to kill, to erase you / My fist will crush your face, you must die / A painful awakening, as you beg for mercy.
For Gore and Country continues the malevolent salvo, at times varying in tempo and approach. A chugging groove turns frenzied towards the middle of the song and certainly lives up to Tobias Gustafsson’s claim. “It charges forward relentlessly just like the rotting hordes in the lyrics do. Starting off with a classic Vomitory grind, then diving headfirst into a total headbanging party, to then take off again into grind and D-beat turmoil.” Erik Rundqvist’s bass reaches subterranean levels while the guitars cleave and scythe everything in their path. If it were possible, Forever Scorned raises the artillery-like pummelling to an even higher level but it does not rely on sheer force alone. A slower, suffocating central passage introduces a haunting tension before the track surges back with renewed intent. Fredriksson’s solo work is frantic yet controlled, adding variation without breaking the song’s oppressive flow.
Wrath Unbound – one of my favourites on the album – has a wonderful balance of Gustaffson’s rampant chords and melodic lead lines from Fredriksson. With lyrics that rise with a sense of destruction, it feels almost heroic on the surface but underneath it is about losing control and being consumed by loathing. Through domination of the force, I rise / A wraith in black beneath dying skies / No peace, no light, no final breath / Only rage, betrayal, death. Tobias Gustafsson comments, “Wrath Unbound is inspired by dark powers and built for headbanging! This is probably the heaviest song on the album. The catchy melody combined with lots of double bass drums will roll over you like a tank. Musically it's influenced by British giants like Iron Maiden, Bolt Thrower, and Carcass.
With an ominous and spectral introduction, title track In Death Throes rumbles in a way we have not yet heard but this respite does not last long. Within thirty seconds, Vomitory are back to rabid, caustic riffing and some of the most belligerent roars that Rundqvist delivers across the whole record. It is the album’s most apocalyptic moment. Individual suffering expands into total collapse, with the human race being violently erased. No salvation, only violence / No release, pure destruction / Convulsive annihilation, merciless extinction / Hope is drowned in putrefaction.
The second half of the album starts with Cataclysmic Fleshfront which is as hostile and pitiless as it name suggests. Vomitory pull you into the world of a battlefield where the constant cycle of shooting and killing makes the fighting – stripping everyone involved of their humanity – become mechanical and merciless. Aim, fire, kill, repeat, make them bleed. The band’s various influences come to the fore during parts of Two and a Half Men. Thrash embellishments combine with an infectious groove, moments of grindcore all seasoned with plenty of old school death metal.
Like a lumbering, colossal titan, Erased In Red is driven by gargantuan bass and a hulking momentum. A cold, unsettling atmosphere finds us following a lone killer moving through the shadows, leaving nothing behind but emptiness. The scream freezes into silence / The corridor drips with fresh remains / The trail leads nowhere / Death without end, erased in red. Without warning a time signature change ups the ante with jagged riffs and venom-laced vocals as the killer attacks without mercy. In a similar vein, penultimate track The Zombie War General depicts a larger‑than‑life figure who represents war itself.
In Death Throes ends with Oblivion Protocol which finds Tobias visiting ever part of his drum kit during an introduction that threatens to fully ignite with each passing bar. The main riff, when it arrives after forty-five seconds, is utterly mutilating and Fredriksson demonstrates just what an excellent asset he is with an engaging and inventive solo.
Without doubt, Vomitory are a band that know precisely how they want to sound and while they may not be reinventing themselves with In Death Throes, there is refinement here. However, in no way should that be taken as an indicator that they have lost an ounce of their aggression. Instead, it is sharpened by Lawrence Mackrory’s immaculate mixing and mastering, which allows every instrument to hit with force while remaining clearly defined. This ensures each musical layer is fully audible without blunting its impact. The band play with a restless energy and a razor‑sharp edge, sounding nothing like veterans just going through the motions but like a unit operating with high levels of confidence to match their undoubted talent.
That sense of assurance is further reinforced by the full integration of Christian Fredriksson, whose presence, as the band attest, brings a renewed spark. “Christian quickly found his place and even contributed music to four killer tracks. These additions bring a bit of diversity to our sound without straying too far from the formula.” For long‑time devotees, this delivers exactly what any listener would desire. With a running time of thirty-seven minutes – some might say the perfect length for such an album – every song is taut and well structured. Another strong addition to their discography, it reasserts Vomitory’s strength by doing what they do best and doing it exceptionally well.
In Death Throes is released on 10th April 2026
Vomitory online