Reviews: SAT341
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It has been three decades since Wisconsin death dealers Viogression released a full-length album. A lot of time has passed since Passage, and the member lineup no longer resembles that album. But Brian DeNeffe’s reverberating rasp returns on the aptly titled third Viogression full-length, 3rd Stage of Decay. The album is a co-release between Satanath Records with Moribund Records, Murdher Records, Pest Records and Dark United Media. The album officially crawls from the grave on April 17th. But Decibel Magazine made a pact with our vein nectar to stream it early for you maniacs.
After an instrumental interlude that could have crept out of 1992, Viogression launch into their old school assault. Fueled by the riff arsenal of Matt Holtz, 3rd Stage of Decay reflects a band with numerous ways to inflict harm. There’s the propulsion of chaotic death/thrash. An ear for dynamics from engineer/mixer Chris Djuricic that illuminates Jason Hellman’s bass tone. The mastering from Dave Otero is like a casket’s final polish. This isn’t an album that is satisfied just brawling in the muck. The compositions thoughtfully balance melody and malice. The solos sizzle like roadkill on a hot highway. Just like the artwork by Zbigniew M. Bielak keeps your eyes busy, this album is a truly engaging listen. Recommended for disciples of Obituary and Cancer who aren’t turned off by the experimental leanings of Atheist.
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2022/04/13/album-premiere-viogression-3rd-stage-of-decay/
Until recently I had never heard Viogression‘s 1991 debut album Expound and Exhort, which led to this Wisconsin band mounting a world tour with Death and Pestilence. Even today that album has a cult following who recognize it as a criminally underrated gem of the early death metal scene, one that draws comparisons to the likes of Death and Obituary, to Morbid Angel and Morbid Saint. And I’ll say now, based on personal experience, that it holds up very well 30 years later.
From all accounts, even that first album didn’t get the attention it deserved when it came out, largely due to negligent label backing. But what happened afterward was like a second hammer blow to the band’s legacy — including the premature release of an unfinished second album (Passage) the year after Expound and Exhort, and then a 9-year hiatus, finally broken by a 2014 EP.
The band continued to perform live, but only now, 30 years after their debut full-length, are Viogression releasing a third album. Its name is 3rd Stage Of Decay.
Not surprisingly, the line-up that recorded this new record differs significantly from the one that recorded the debut. although Brian DeNeffe is still behind the mic (and has never sounded better). All together, the band includes former members of Sarcophagus, Forest of Impaled, Dying Fetus, Broken Hope, Divine Empire, Crowned Beheaded, Brutality, Cynic, Dr. Shrinker, and Morta Skuld. In a nutshell, there;’s a ton of talent in the band, and it shows in the music.
While the new music still definitely maintains its connections to the old-school Wisconsin death metal sound, it’s also obvious that the new blood has contributed to important differences. Moreover, it benefits from the best production of the band’s career.
It would not be outrageous to now call Viogression a progressive death metal band, or at least one that’s as interested in experimentation and vivid melodies as it is in sinister moods and savage attacks. As proof of that, we present a new album track named “Cipher” — a relentlessly dynamic song that’s packed with thrilling surprises.
The gentle strummed chords and shimmering cymbal at the outset of “Cipher” may defy expectations, and as forecast above, it’s not the only intriguing aspect of the song. Soon enough, the band start jolting the listener’s spine and executing slashing, swarming, and jagged riffage over tumultuous drums, scalding screams, and vehement roars. But bursts of fluid, beleaguered melody and the sparkle of shining notes emerge as well.
Among the near-constant changes in the song are nimble and moody bass arpeggios, gorgeous extended guitar solos that tug at the heartstrings and light up the mind, mesmerizing leads almost too abundant to count, and continually electrifying drum fills and ravaging vocal intensity. The music soars to zeniths of eye-popping splendor, becomes soft and contemplative, and at the end suddenly switches to a sequence of dancing symphonic strings and warm organ tones, accompanied by chanted choral voices.
It truly is a wondrous song, and one that’s irresistible to come back to. The more you listen, the more you discover, and the feeling of wonder persists.
3rd Stage Of Decay is nearly an hour-long adventure, graced by the cover art of the great Zbigniew M. Bielak. It was recorded and mixed at Belle City Sound, engineered and mixed by Chris Djuricic, and mastered by Dave Otero.
https://www.nocleansinging.com/2022/03/16/an-ncs-premiere-viogression-cipher/
“Expound and Exhort” (1991) de Viogression fue un disco que lo abre escuchado unas mil veces, y hasta el día de hoy lo llevo para escucharlo de vez en cuando. Ya que fue un álbum que me agrado bastante en su momento y hasta el día de hoy lo sigue haciendo; pero cuando salío “Passage” (1992), mis expectativas disminuyeron a nivel general. Porque la banda tomo otra ruta musical y se hizo más pesada, y no tan acelerada y de golpe en la cara como en su primer álbum. Entonces, luego de 30 años de ese segundo álbum, se tiene una tercera larga duración llamada “3rd Stage of Decay”, que regresa con todo es potencial asesino y directo que todo amante del Death Metal esperaba. Pero ¿este podrá superar lo que hizo la banda en el 1991?... Pues veamos…
Casi siempre cuando una banda vieja retorna con nueva producción después de 10, 20 o 30 años, muchas cosas cambian en su manera de hacer música, o muchas cosas ya no se sienten igual debido a lo poblado de los estilos musicales, y por obvias razones, la idea sorpresiva de los 90s queda descartada y se tiene otra idea después de más de 30 años de haber escuchado a una banda como Viogression. Entonces, después de muchas vueltas a este “3rd Stage of Decay”, la música de esta banda mejoro en muchos sentidos, y que la banda regresará a la idea inicial de su primer álbum, fue un detalle acertado a nivel general; pero ojo, no solo puedes encontrar ideas de 1991, sino que támbien puedes encontrar influencias de 1992. Encontrando un balance destacable entre ambas producciones dentro de este tercer álbum, y que existan nuevos detalles técnicos y hasta progresivos por segundos, le da esa idea que termina catapultando este regreso como uno de los mejores de este año.
Desde que todo empieza con “Nectar of Veins” y terminas con “Memory Ever After”, la música tiene muchos recuerdos del pasado que se complementan correctamente con lo que vas a ver en la portada hecha por Zbigniew M. Bielak (Behemot, Carcass, Azarath, Darkthrone, etc.). Y la voz de Brian DeNeffe sigue igual de directa e intensa, y esta vez que tenga un toque más de producción en su música a nivel de estudio, pues ayuda mucho para estar con la billetera en la mano y adquirir el álbum y encontrar ese placer auditivo en la música de Viogression después de más de 30 años, porque como lo comenté, “Passage” (1992), no fue un disco bien recibido en su momento. Luego, los nuevos integrantes como Matt, Kyle y el demonio de Duane en la batería, reviven perfectamente como hubiera sido esa mezcla mutante y de muchos sabores en la música de esta banda en los 90s después de “Expound and Exhort” (1991).
Es interesante ver como Viogression con nuevos integrantes recrean y mejoran en muchos sentidos su sonido, sin perder esa esencia que tuvo la banda en los 90s y al mismo tiempo crean un monstruo extremo de grosas proporciones dentro de este “3rd Stage of Decay”. Siendo lo más interesante de todo, porque cuando escuchas el álbum muchas veces y después de muchas partes nuevas en su manera de hacer música, ese sonido tradicional al final con “Memory Ever After”, con ese clásico cierre de bandas Death Metal de los 90s, con guitarra acústica, es de lo mejor. Luego en otros momentos como “Sisters of Iris / Taurion” encuentras sabores Black Metal que enamoran en segundos, porque no dominan todo la canción o el álbum, sino le da ese saborcillo picantito que tus oídos necesitan para adorar el disco, y de ahí tener partes doomers y solo rock and roll, terminan de maravillar a cualquier oyente.
Entonces, ¿Este “3rd Stage of Decay” supera con creces a lo pasado con Viogression?, pues si y en todo sentido, desde una portada mucho mejor trabajada, y como detalle curioso, el artista se acercó a la banda y les propuso hacer su portada, porque es fanático de la banda desde los 90s. Por lo cual, esta tercera placa te hace olvidar completamente lo que paso con esta banda en su primer y segundo álbum, y estos 30 años de silencio en largas producciones, pues lo valen en todo sentido. Un gran retorno y un gran álbum que se va para lo mejor dentro del Death Metal de este 2022.
https://www.metallerium.com/viogression-3rd-stage-of-decay-2022
Viogression is a yet another silly band name. I would just making a portmanteau of two "evil words" your band name a recent trend, but as it turns out, Viogression are part of the old guard. Part of the small and obscure milwaukee scene, they apparently have some loose ties to the heavily underrated Morta Skuld. Similarly to Morta Skuld, they manage to sound absolutely old school in every way and yet are hard to place into a distinct movement of 90s old school death metal. The guitar tone is incredibly chunky, the material is as thrashy as it is groovy and they sport a vocalist whose closest comparison is likely a martin van Drunen, but nothing of it seems like a carbon copy of any other 90s DM act. Having laid dormant for so long - Viogression´s last release was in 1992 - Viogression seem like they idiosyncracies are frozen in time.
I am in fact curious about their past material, as '3rd Stage of Decay' is one of the strongest OSDM platters I was served all year. Especially the groovy slowdown of 'Caliginous Conflagration' keeps begging me to come back to the record. Sadly, there is one small issue with the record preventing me from going even higher in score: The length. '3rd Stage of Decay' is over 55 minutes long, and, as so often, the band stretches their creativity a bit thin on the album - especially considering that the closer 'Memory Ever After' is little more than a glorified intro. I hate that I have to keep repeating similar criticisms so much, but self-editing is still one of the biggest issues in extreme metal. With some trims, a 7 could have been in the cards for '3rd Stage of Decay'.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc3tGbFIlMu/
Nejdřív jsem spatřil žhnoucí oči. Fascinovaly mě, hypnotizovaly. Jakoby hleděly přímo do mé zkažené duše. Potkali jsme se v naprosté tmě, uprostřed města, hned vedle hřbitovní zdi. Krev mi ztuhla v žilách a po zádech mi přeběhl mráz. Nejdřív jsem si myslel, že pro mě přišla Smrt, ale bylo to něco mnohem horšího. Dávný démon, bestie, noční můra, která se mi znovu vrátila. Byl jsem zpět v devadesátých letech minulého století a poslouchal jsem staré death metalové klasiky.
Američtí VIOGRESSION patří mezi ně. Spali dlouhé roky, aby se letos vrátili. Silnější než dřív. Mocnější, šílenější. Už jenom zvuk vám vypálí do kůže bolestivý cejch. Skladby doslova mokvají a vy si můžete naplno vychutnat morbidní smrtící kov tradičního amerického střihu. Slyším šepot nemrtvých!
Na "3rd Stage of Decay" jsem si pro sebe nalezl vše potřebné pro poctivou exhumaci shnilých hrobů. Dívám se do tmy, chodím opuštěnými ulicemi a neustále přidávám hlasitost. Potřebuji svoji denní dávku VIOGRESSION, jinak mám pocit, že mi něco chybí. Oceňují zajímavý způsob, jakým jsou skladby napsány. Dlouholeté zkušenosti, poctivá práce a odhodlání se promítly do skladeb, jsou jako krvavé otisky, které byly způsobeny ostrým skalpelem. Pořád si, i po dlouhých letech v záhrobí, myslím, že se tenhle styl musí hrát srdcem. A z Američanů cítím velkou, černou sílu i pokoru, načerpané snad v nekonečných chodbách Hádovy říše. Pokud máte rádi smečky jako MORBID ANGEL, PESTILENCE, MORTA SKULD, CIANIDE, MORGOTH, OBITUARY, DEICIDE, myslím, že budete velmi spokojeni. Na tomhle albu se totiž odehrává velmi nečistá hra. Démoni sedí kolem kulatého stolu, připraveni ihned zaútočit. Srdce mi tepe ve stejném rytmu, plíce se neklidně nadechují. Album je skvělé po všech stránkách, ale nejvíc se mi asi líbí podmanivá, chladná a černá atmosféra. Podobné nálady nikde jinde nenajdete, přinejmenším ne v takovém množství. Teď už vím jméno dávného démona, bestie i noční můry. Říká si VIOGRESSION a je opravdu silnější, mocnější než dřív. Energii načerpal na starých pohřebištích a promítl ji do nové desky. Vynikající zásek! Death metal, ze kterého odkapává zkažená krev!
Asphyx says:
First I saw the glowing eyes. They fascinated me and hypnotized me. It was as if they were looking straight into my corrupt soul. We met in total darkness, in the middle of the city, next to the cemetery wall. My blood ran cold in my veins and a chill ran down my spine. At first, I thought Death had come for me, but it was something much worse. An ancient demon, a beast, a nightmare that had come back to me again. I was back in the 1990s, listening to old death metal classics.
American VIOGRESSION is one of them. They slept for years to come back this year. Stronger than before. Stronger, crazier. The sound alone burns a painful mark on your skin. The songs swell and you can fully enjoy the morbid death metal of the traditional American cut. I hear the whispers of the undead!
At "3rd Stage of Decay" I found everything I needed for an honest exhumation of rotten graves. I stare into the darkness, walk the deserted streets and keep turning up the volume. I need my daily dose of VIOGRESSION, otherwise, I feel like I'm missing something. Appreciate the interesting way the songs are written. Years of experience, honest work, and dedication have translated into the songs, they are like bloody imprints that have been inflicted with a sharp scalpel. I still think, even after many years in the afterlife, that this style has to be played with the heart. And from the Americans, I sense a great, black power and humility, drawn perhaps from the endless corridors of Hades. If you like packs like MORBID ANGEL, PESTILENCE, MORTA SKULD, CYANIDE, MORGOTH, OBITUARY, and DEICIDE, I think you will be very satisfied. Because there's a very dirty game going on on this album. The demons are sitting around a round table, ready to attack at a moment's notice. My heart is beating in the same rhythm, my lungs are breathing restlessly. The album is great in all aspects, but I think what I like the most is the captivating, cold and black atmosphere. You won't find similar moods anywhere else, at least not in such quantity. Now I know the name of the ancient demon, the beast, and the nightmare. It's called VIOGRESSION and it's stronger, more powerful than before. He has drawn energy from old burial grounds and projected it into the new record. Excellent hit! Death metal dripping with bad blood!
https://www.deadlystormzine.com/2022/05/recenzereview-viogression-3rd-stage-of.html
US band Viogression are out with the album "3rd Stage of Decay", and extreme metal is the style explored on this production. This is a rather contrast-filled variety of the form, with the primal, guttural harsh vocals being a distinct contrast to the musical backing. While we do get some high pace and high intensity escapades that does fit the vocals, we also get plenty of moments of a more technical nature, with some nifty quirky riff details a particular highlight, alongside liberal amounts of alterations in pace and general intensity, plenty of alluring harmony guitar solo excursions and a few dips into more careful and acoustic oriented landscapes to boot. One might in fact argue that there is a bit of progressive intent at hand here at times. A production that should appeal to those who enjoy extreme metal bands playing around with contrasts in general and the contrast between the primal and the elegant in particular.
Wisconsin death metal act Viogression makes a surprising return with its third full-length album aptly titled “3rd Stage of Decay”. Among the vast talented bands of New York and Florida, Viogression's debut album “Expound and Exhort” was coined in the spirit of early Obituary kudos to vocalist Brian DeNeffe. The musical styling of the band remains the same as early material if not powerful, “3rd Stage of Decay” is reminiscent of the classic death metal bands like Morbid Angel, Pestilence, and Asphyx. The current lineup features the old-time vocalist Brian DeNeffe, guitarist Matt Holtz, drummer Duane Timlin, and bassist Jason Hellman.
The songs on the album follow the slow old school framework with incredible vocal abilities and massive guitars that would tear down the walls of your room. Unlike brutal death metal acts, Viogression‘s musical motifs avoid the unnecessary blast beats. Instead, the whole album is packed with loud suffocating vocals similar to John Tardy’s (Obituary) growls. From its opening track “Nectar of Veins” Viogression offers a heavy slab of old school morbidity and takes a dive into a constant whirlpool of riffs and double bass. The influences of the Floridian style of death metal are prominent but Viogression‘s vigorous passion emphasizes the guitar’s arsenal, and the drums are constantly dynamic. The album’s main aspect is that the band managed to increase their brutal take on classic death metal.
“Under the Riverbed” begins at a slow pace where the grinding drums play a dramatic impact on the pulverizing effect of the double bass, and the song transitions to powerful tempos. With intense riffing incorporating brutal riffs that would slowly pulverize your eardrums, the songs on the album contain many slow moments while the vocals spew out sick guttural growls. Among the fastest tracks in the album is “Death Drive” which is deathly brutal. There are frequent blast beats propelled by stomping riffs. “3rd Stage of Decay” holds all the hallmarks of early Death and Obituary. Despite all these years, Viogression has strengthened its dynamics, and the guitars and drums reflect on the rawness. There is definitely no question that the Wisconsin quartet managed to develop its own niche in the style of death metal.
The guitars are innovative and have a touch of freshness. Unlike the contemporary old school death metal bands, the presentation here shows the deep roots of early death metal. While brutality and aggression are the most distinctive features of the album, the songwriting is well-honed. Songs like “3 Skulls” and “From Dust” offer unforgettable riffs that bear the late 80’s and early 90’s trademarks. The guitar department demonstrates superior qualities in terms of riffing and the atmospheric hooks, including the lead guitars, making the album an instant classic!! The instrumental sections are rife but it also shows the outstanding composition, drumming performance is top-notch. There are plenty of blasting sections carried by shredding guitar solos. Brian DeNeffe’s guttural vocals are abrasive exuding all the aesthetic qualities of Floridian death metal a la Death and Obituary.
The blast beats come rumbling on tracks like “Caliginous Conflagration”, a testimony of the sheer genius of writing hefty songs. The vocals emitting ominous morbid growls, each track separates itself from the previous. The album is loaded with sickening morbidity while songs like “Murder” features high rasping pitches and the rapid drums find a perfect balance between high-octane tempos and the slower-paced tempos. The powerful mixture of the drums and the rumbling bass guitar intertwine with the brutal riffing. “3rd Stage of Decay” maintains a great range of styles from classic death and doom metal. One of the highlights of the album is “Sisters of Iris/ Taurion”: the tolling bells immediately invoke the style of doom metal. The song begins with slow-paced drums, and ultra-slow doomy riffs soaked in gloomy tremolos. Then there is a great interplay of clean guitars and towering solos that ends with a bass guitar solo section making it one of the best songs.
The maximum violence seems more clear on “Blood Stained Path”, whereas “Cipher” erupts with the riff assault with clean guitar textures adding melodies, is the weakest track. The closing track “Memory Ever After” is solely acoustic that provides closure. In my humble opinion, the final three songs are more like fillers it would have been better if Viogression reduced the fat also the time length of the album which is extended to 55 minutes seems quite long. Nevertheless “3rd Stage of Decay” is an excellent album from these veterans.
https://www.grimmgent.com/albumreviews/viogression-3rd-stage-of-decay/