Since 2009, Whore of Bethlehem, the extreme metal crafters from Texas, have been on the rise, creating one banger album after another. Today, their latest album, “Ritual of Homicide,” stands out as the band’s most powerfully driven and ambitious work to date.
What sets Whore of Bethlehem apart from many other artists in the brutal death metal scene is their unique sound, which incorporates blackened arrangements. To me, they are one of the best bands in the underground scene who execute this music and style incredibly well.
I’ve been a fan of the band since their last album, “Extinguish the Light,” which was not only one of my favorite albums of 2017, but quickly became one of my most listened to albums in the many years I’ve been a compassionate death metal fanatic.
Whore of Bethlehem draws influences from US death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Morbid Angel, and Drawn and Quartered, as well as blackened death metal soundscapes from Behemoth, Archgoat, and Belphegor. Not only am I a fan of all the artists I’ve listed, but I see Whore of Bethlehem going places in the foreseeable future.
“Ritual of Homicide” is undeniably relentless from start to finish, with organic presentation, sharp production, and blasphemous, horrific, and satanic-themed lyricism that embraces the listener and takes them on a spellbound journey to the lurking depths of hell.
The album features a combination of old-school death metal signature melodies reminiscent of Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse, agonized brutality of endless passion, and thrash metal compositions that are absolutely unadulterated. The black metal passages unleash a waving force of sonic assault from tempos to mid-paced instrumental melodic interpretations that are surrealistic.
Tracks like “Sermon of the Malignant Spirit,” “Monolith of Cremation,” “Nails in Your Coffin,” and “Disembodied” really showcase the band’s blackened death metal atmospheric passages, Goatwhore-esque leads, and Scandinavian elements to the mix. This record is admirable, compassionate, and a work of art.
“Ritual of Homicide” is an album about abusing powerless creatures and swelling the lifeless of dying, with admirable and darkened portals to the deepest underground passages, all while grinning with a laugh upon your wretched faces.
