On the 16th of December, after a lot of hard work, the first album from the American-Hungarian co-production metal band Vented, “Cruelty And Corruption”, was finally released!
The project, which name was formerly Audionerve, is the lovechild of Omega Diatribe guitarist Gergő Hájer, who is joined by Sean Zatorsky (Sinsaenum, ex-Chimaira) on vocals, Simon C. Bondar (White Tiger) on keyboards/sampler and another former Chimaira member, Austin D’Amond, on drums. In the early stages, the legendary Joey Jordison (ex-Slipknot, Vimic, Sinsaenum) was involved in the project and Sean approached him to take over the drummer position. Joey accepted the offer on the condition that he would like to be a core member. He was responsible for both the name and the image of the band. Sadly, he passed away tragically in the summer of 2021, just before the recording of the album. Gergő decided to continue without him, paying tribute to his memory and carrying on his spirit. After some searching, Austin took his place, and it is his playing that can now be heard on the record. After four promotional singles, the beast “Cruelty And Corruption” was released on the 16th of December last year, with 13+1 tracks and a playing time of 54 minutes!
Band: Vented (US/HUN) Album: Cruelty And Corruption (14 tracks, 54 minutes) Genre(s): Groove metal, Nu metal Release Date: 16/12/2022 Record label: Metal.hu
Gergő Hájer has made no secret of the fact that Slipknot’s work has been a big impact on his life. The same can be said about the nu-metal era that started in the late nineties and flourished in the early twenties. This kind of adoration shines through the whole sound of the album. The first two Slipknot albums came to my mind more than once while I was listening to “Cruelty And Corruption”. Even the bizarre and ominous album opener “I Am Death” bears the familiar and beloved Slipknot characteristics. Not to mention the catchy hate anthems like “Vitriolic” and “The Darkness“. The guitar play is fantastic! It’s not overcomplicated, it’s simple, but it’s packed with massive and heavy riffs. It’s like a pure punch in the face. In this aspect For example the track called “Self Destruct” and the already mentioned song Vitriolic. Austin was a great choice for drums. It was no small shoe to step into, but he delivers brilliantly. His presence in the songs is distinctive and defining. My personal favorite performance from him is the closing breakdown of “My Desire“. Simon’s presence may seem overshadowed by the rest, but his role is equally important. With the keyboard and the variety of noises, he creates the disturbing atmosphere that is the essence of the genre. Although it is very well integrated into the music, its absence would certainly be felt. Still, he has his great moments, like the intro of “Vigil“, the ending of “Zero“, and of course there’s I Am Death. Sean’s vocals are huge on this album, he brings the Corey Taylor-like vocals to the table, with all the screams, growls and whispery mumbles. Whenever it starts to get repetitive, he spices up the song with some clean vocals or humming, keeping the tireless hate tsunami that the album represents fresh and vibrant. Absolutely a hit!
Cruelty And Corruption is a very impressive debut album that exudes an almost childlike Slipknot enthusiasm, yet it is not a simple copy-paste wannabe record, but a high quality production that has been sensitively and expertly handled, capturing its quintessence. I can heartily recommend it to anyone who lived through the zenith of nu metal, or even to those who may not have got what they expected from last year’s Slipknot release. Hopefully we will get to see them rock out live in the near future!
Rating:
(Traidusk)
Cruelty And Corruption
Vented
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by: Traidusk & Wolfy
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