Vomit Remnants: Indefensible Vehemence (2001)

It's been awhile since I did a slam release, so here is Japan's Vomit Remnants.  This is a band I am fairly familiar with, although I did not quite realize just how familiar with this particular release I was.  I have a CD compilation from Vomit Remnants as part of one of my early sojourns into the genre.  That compilation collected this EP along with another release and a couple of covers.  So I have actually heard everything here before.  No matter, I enjoy it quite a bit.

After a brief, almost electronic intro, the band breaks into "Prodigy of Solitude", which is a pretty good indication of the kind of stuff to expect from the band going forward.  Ruthlessly brutal with pounding riffs and crashing drums, Vomit Remnants is one of the best bands out of Japan's surprisingly great slam scene.  They are generally more dynamic than a lot of other slam bands with a high-energy approach that is somewhat unusual for the genre.  They also vary speeds quite often beyond the typical band of the style.  Of course there are the breakdown (or slam) parts that Vomit Remnants does quite well, but by and large this is not quite your run-of-the-mill slam band.

The only real issue I have with this release is the live tracks thrown in at the end.  The production values of those tracks is just ridiculously awful.  The drums can be heard, but very little else.  They are also kind of superfluous and were not on the original release.

I remain a fan of slam death metal, though finding good bands these days is not easy.  Vomit Remnants was one of the first slam bands I discovered and they remain one of my favorites.  This EP is a good example of why.