Review Summary: Riff-orientated occult rock with a touch of old-school Priest.
From the moment Geezer Butler dreamt of a dark figure towering over him, the occult has developed a keen fascination within metal and hard rock. Nearly 50 years (!) onwards and occultism still flourishes through bands such Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, however, when a band gets tagged with an ‘occult rock’ label-or any other label for that matter- it becomes difficult for them to divert from those stereotypes that surround the genre. Therefore, the only thing a band can do if they want to escape this immediate expectancy is to simply lessen the amount of occultist influence in their music. This is something that Ghost has done with great success: they’ve substituted their original influences for others thus crafting something new, yet, still familiar.
Formed at the same time as bands such as Deafheaven, The Damned Things and Times of Grace in 2010, Venomous Maximus is not as widely recognised as their peers. Nevertheless, the Texan quartet has churned out two strong albums, based around the occult, with enough haunting riffs to accommodate your post-Sabbath requirements. After touring with bands such as Royal Thunder and Pallbearer it’s no surprise that
“No Warning” oversees Venomous Maximus attempting to ditch the occult brand and appease fans of all things sinister and those simply looking to hook onto an infectious riff or catchy chorus.
Effectively, this album is split into two halves separated by two interludes, “I” and “II” that provide a short break between the two halves with weird groovy synthesiser. Venomous Maximus fully focus on their occult origins in the first half of
“No Warning” where the band frequently makes mention of all magickal stereotypes in the lyricism. During “Spellbound”, a distant dreamlike feel is created whereby softer melodies are placed behind the juxtaposing dirty riffs which trample at the front and centre throughout the album. “Return to The Witch” acts as a sequel to one of the band’s most renowned songs, “Give Up The Witch”. The sequel has an air of continuity to it as the stamping riffs take precedence over any other instrument and drive the song forward through snarling vocals, and rumbling bass, much like the original on their debut album,
“Beg Upon The Light”.
The latter half of
“No Warning” exhibits how Venomous Maximus relies on their songwriting more than their occult appearance to create interesting music. Essentially, the last four songs are the same as the first half minus the mystical narratives, however, the band manages to convey feelings of creepiness and discomfort through effects such as gurgling bass that lurks around endlessly in “Sea Of Sleep” alongside chiming melodies that surface from this dense miasma of sound. Venomous Maximus substitute the occult influence on these last few tracks for a NWOBHM influence instead, allowing them to focus more on forging their central riffs. “Blood For Blood” and the title track both feature Maiden-esque guitar cantering, sprinkled with additional fuzziness where the former particularly channels this influence through chanting, uplifting melodies and descending riff patterns.
Clearly, Venomous Maximus have no need for concern when it comes to creating brilliant riffs because this album is chock full of them- most of the songs themselves revolve around them. Although Gregg Higgins’ vocals remain unadventurous, yet still strangely appropriate, and the songs themselves are rather repetitive,
“No Warning” displays a band daring to move on from the comfort zone of their origins and progress their sound.
