Venom Prison - Erebos

The almost all-consuming darkness.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on February 21st 2022) 

Contrary to popular belief, hardcore and death metal do mix. Not in the deathcore sense where one just adds gutturals over chugging riffs, but in the one where the feral energy of the former clashes with the violent riffing of the latter. Plenty of modern bands have proven that this combination can be used to great effect, such as Xibalba, Gatecreeper, and the topic of this review, Venom Prison. The British quintet has been rampaging through the underground since 2015, and Erebos is the band’s first proper release for the new decade (Primeval doesn’t count). So let’s take a look at how the band decided to kick this chapter of their career off, shall we?

For one, this is arguably their most experimental and eclectic release to date. Problem is, most of these experiments fall flat. The band here leans really hard on 2000s melodic metalcore for the first half of this album and it just neuters the songs. “Judges of the Underworld” has a clean chorus that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Parkway Drive album, and “Pain of Oizys” is a power ballad that mixes clean and harsh vocals and goes nowhere. Thankfully those are primarily restricted to the front end of the album and aren’t as prevalent later on. That being said there are some additions that actually did pan out and add to the songs in which they’re present, such as the subtle electronic and ambient touches on “Golden Apples of the Hesperides”.

Like we’ve already established though, that’s only half of the album, and following “Pain of Oizys” we can see the band lean harder on what they do best: launching a relentless assault with absolutely no restraints. The aforementioned “Golden Apples of the Hesperides” is one of the album’s highlights, with its razor-sharp riffing melding together with some ferocious breakdowns making for one of the album’s strongest moments, especially after what preceded it. What really stands out though is the lead work presented. Venom Prison has never been particularly notable for their soloing, but Erebos’ greatest strength turns out to be just that. “Gorgon Sisters” and “Technologies of Death” are filled to the brim with ferocious and intricate fretwork that is quite memorable and cements these songs as some of the better ones here. While they might be a bit too melodic at times, such as on “Castigated in Steel and Concrete”, they’re still quite energetic, and serve as this album’s main selling point.

The production presented here is also quite solid, with very few things to find fault in. The guitars are meaty, yet don’t lose their definition, the drums are positively earth-moving, especially during the double-bass segments, and the bass just adds more weight to the guitars. The mixing is also quite solid, with things being audible and easy to pick apart at all times, barring the bass being placed under the guitars and not having much of a voice of its own. Even the newly introduced elements, such as the quasi-orchestral additions on “Technologies of Death” manage to be tastefully implemented without becoming overbearing.

Seeing as we’re talking about a band that draws from hardcore music, I’d be remiss not to bring up the lyrics presented here. Venom Prison’s always been very charged on that front, and this release is no different. Throughout Erebos, Larissa Stupar shines a light on the world’s injustices through her powerful vocal performance. With themes ranging from how people are often forced into crime due to the environment they’re surrounded by, to making a case for women’s rights to abortion, she delivers them with an intensity that is scarcely matched by other vocalists in the style. Her performances have always been really convincing and things are no different this time around, and it’s only supplemented further by the fact that the lyrics are well written, which isn’t something you see often when it comes to politically charged bands (looking at you Havok). As for the previously mentioned clean vocals, while they’re not bad, they aren’t particularly notable either, and their implementation doesn’t help their case much either.

While I do massively respect bands who are willing to try something new and refuse to be boxed in, Venom Prison’s Erebos hasn’t been a hit for me. Its predisposal for 2000s metalcore on the first half makes a rather strong impression, and not a particularly positive one at that. While the latter half is a marked improvement, to the point where it probably contains some of the band’s best songs (“Gorgon Sisters”, “Technologies of Death”), it still makes for an inconsistent experience. I’m optimistic that the band will manage to iterate and improve on the experiments here in subsequent releases, all that’s left is to see whether I’m right to be optimistic or not.

Highlights: Nemesis, Golden Apples of the Hesperides, Gorgon Sisters, Technologies of Death

Rating: 56%