Review: “Pseudobiblion” by Consumed By Vultures (5th Anniversary re-issue)

What better time to celebrate an album than an anniversary? L’Arte Produce made the decision to re-issue “Pseudobiblion” by Swiss Death Metal outfit Consumed By Vultures five years after it originally reared its ugly head, giving us the opportunity to take a walk down the yellow brick road otherwise known as memory lane. Formed back in 2013 by vocalist Alex Medici and multi instrumentalist Mattia La Delfa, who chose a name inspired by a traditional Tibetan funeral ritual, the sky burial, where the skinned bodies of the dead are offered to the vultures as the final act of generosity by the deceased. They quickly established a sound in Brutal Death Metal with Slam influences and lyrics which explore existential themes and were joined by guitarist Timoteo Costantini, bassist Matteo Valenti, drummer Nereo Costantini, second vocalist Simone Di Cerbo and producer, graphic designer, technician and video director Gabriele A. Bavera in doing so.

After a demo in 2014 and a debut EP “Demonstration of Negative Way” in 2015 the band came up with the idea for a concept album titled “In Eterno” which was released in 2017. A narrative about a higher entity seeking to understand human flaws and imagining ways to improve the world, only to find no solution, leading to an endless cycle of contemplation, hence the name “In Eterno” was established which then was continued into 2019’s “Pseudobiblion“. The entity, unable to find a solution, decides to leave a pseudobiblion as a guide for humanity, hoping that with some guidance, a final solution can be reached. Inspired in part by Dante’s Divine Comedy, both structurally and stylistically rather than in terms of content, there are three distinctive themes between the songs of “Pseudobiblion” but those themes are interwoven as the songs aren’t in theme order.

While the albums track titles are in Italian, which we’ve taken a minute to translate into English, at least some of the lyrics are not, making the record something of a unique proposition. No concept album is complete without an atmospheric piece of some kind and with “Proemio” (or “Foreword“) the entity speaks in a way which gives a darkly cinematic overtone before a tale of a tree composed of the bodies and souls of children “L’Albero Sacro” (or “The Sacred Tree“) unfolds. The ground beneath the feet trembles with the power of thunderous percussion and rumbling bass as a wrecking ball of old school Death Metal riffs with Necrophagist or perhaps Disentomb vibes rise from the black depths. As enticing as a call to the void from a banshee, the first track proper is a demonstration of just what the band are capable of with a real energy to it that captures the essence of their live performances and distils it down to its purest form. An almost mournful introduction to “Cenere” offers a little breathing space before a dark whisper explodes into a blasting rampage with swirling, sinister riffs. A “Bleigh!” moment is a welcome surprise before a shift into something a little more groove laden and it has to be said that the contrast between the death growls and shriller harsh vocals between Di Cerbo and Medici work incredibly well.

A Groove Death monster “Architetti Dell’ingnoto” (or “Architects of the Unknown“) batters the brain like a prize fighter thanks to the jack hammer footwork from Costantini behind the kit; the science fiction themes running through the lyrics a nice touch. There are even fleeting moments of Technical Death Metal in the riff department, everything executed with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel in slick and stylish fashion. Galloping out from Hell like the four horsemen of the apocalypse “La Grande Piramide” (or “The Great Pyramid“) hits with flavours of Russian Death Metal brutes God Syndrome. Buzzsaw riffs fly from the fretboards with urgency and fervour while a flamboyant technical solo is a shaft of radiant light through the dark clouds overhead. The track almost reaches Death Grind levels of madness at points which tells you all you need to know about the trenches the six piece call their own. After that burst of violence a seven minute cut seems impossible but in “Servi Del Fuoco” (or “Servants of Fire“) Consumed By Vultures deliver the goods without trading any of their ferocity in the process. As restless and relentless as anything from Suffocation the first two and a half minutes is a single vicious movement before a false ending ushers in some ethereal synth to bolster the sound. The harsh whispers and chilling atmospherics are mesmerising before the beast rises once more, the fade into an ominous melodic passage to close beautifully pieced together. That final minute acts to cleans the mind of all ills and also allows “Encaustum-Papyrus Excelsi” (or “Encaustum-Papyrus of the Exalted“) to slap that much harder. An unstoppable force of nature with rapid fire chanted lyrics, this one drags you kicking and screaming across the path before putting you down at point blank range, stopping on a dime rather than fading out.

Sinister and menacing from the very start “L’Erede” (or “The Heir“) offers some unexpected and yet tasteful Melodic Death Metal leads as it bares its teeth before hunting for vengeance. Medici and Di Cerbo roar like men possessed as if in perpetual agony as “Gli Occhi Dei Divini” (or “The Eyes of the Divine“) unfurls its wings and takes to flight. Another bludgeoning with great panache that borders on epic grandeur, it makes you wonder what these Swiss Butchers would be capable of given the right label backing. If you were expecting an acoustic ballad to bring the bloodstained curtain down on this collection of Technical Death Metal cuts then guess again because “La Scrittura Ultima” (or “The Ultimate Scripture“) is as brutal a finishing note as any you might find. It has a couple of Slam influenced death growls in its perpetual forward motion, the endless, nameless, faceless monsters coming home with wave after wave of riffs of the highest order. Some might even argue there is an old school quality with a crushing modern guitar tone in play but we’ll let you decide… [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Proemio (or “Foreword“)
2. L’Albero Sacro (or “The Sacred Tree“)
3. Cenere (or “Ash“)
4. Architetti Dell’ingnoto (or “Architects of the Unknown“)
5. La Grande Piramide (or “The Great Pyramid“)
6. Servi Del Fuoco (or “Servants of Fire“)
7. Encaustum-Papyrus Excelsi (or “Encaustum-Papyrus of the Exalted“)
8. L’Erede (or “The Heir“)
9. Gli Occhi Dei Divini (or “The Eyes of the Divine“)
10. La Scrittura Ultima (or “The Ultimate Scripture“)

“Pseudobiblion” by Consumed By Vultures is out 20th August 2024 via L’Arte Produce