Venom Prison established themselves, at the turn of the 2010s, as one of the most invigorating names in British death metal. Led by singer Larissa Stupar, the Welsh outfit combined from the outset an uncompromising brutality with committed, feminist, political lyrics — a rare conjunction in a genre often inclined to turn inward. Erebos, hailed by the critics (an 83 average across eight reviews), confirms this rising trajectory.
What the press retain is the widening of the palette. Where the early records banked on speed and density, Erebos dares melodic openings, passages of clean singing, near-atmospheric breathing spaces. The band seek to tell more than merely to strike, and this narrative ambition irrigates the whole.
Musically, the fury remains: implacable blast beats, cutting riffs, the inhabited growls of Larissa Stupar, whose vocal presence stays the trump card. But the more polished production now makes room for contrasts, build-ups and lulls that structure the listening and give the violence a new relief.
This effort at opening is not without risk: a few purists will reproach the record with a certain dilution of the original savagery, and not all the melodic incursions convince equally. The balance, still fragile, is being sought.
Verdict: 8/10. An ambitious, intelligent record proving that death metal can think without renouncing any of its force. Venom Prison are gathering strength.
