Not to be confused with the now-defunct Swedish band of the same name, Vermin are aptly named, because these Dutchmen make dirty, rancid Death Metal that's sure to appeal to fans of the likes of their countrymen Arsebreed, Disavowed and Sinister, and other bands who can play their instruments, but don't place too much emphasis on technicality, and more on sheer brutality.
Picking out individual tracks and dissecting them seems a bit unnecessary in this instance, because with the exception of brief intro track 'The Swarm', and the almost Doom-y overtones of 'Birth', they all follow one another in a very similar mould and song structure, although there's just enough variety in this department to keep you listening. There's not quite enough subtlety or interesting little nuances in Vermin's music though- this is all about unleashing a torrential rain of blast-beats and savage riffage, which is inevitably accompanied by the guttural growls, with a few high-pitched screams thrown in as well, the odd breakdown and a fair smattering of groove. 'Deviate' in particular seems to be an exercise in playing as fast as humanly possible, which is ultimately to the detriment of the song.
The tiny flecks of melody present in 'Fuel For The Flames' and the spidery guitars of 'The Swallowing Vortex' (interestingly enough, I hear some Dillinger Escape Plan-like tendencies there) do show a more intricate side of the band, but no one's about to confuse them with Psycroptic or Hate Eternal when it comes to making complex, dynamic Extreme music, although there's some tricky tempo shifts that are pulled off pretty impressively. Considering the band is on such a small indie label the average production values are understandable, but the sub-par drum sound is a bit of a distraction to be honest. The riffs aren't overly exciting either; 'Dislekt' is an exception, but too many of them sound recycled, or like leftovers from other bands such as Hate Eternal, Cryptopsy and company, such as the Cannibal Corpse-esque guitars of 'I Am The Dissident.'
I do like the intensity of tracks like 'Collapsed Future Visions', the moodier sections of 'Eyes Wide Shut' and 'Ascend' though- if the band could bottle that violent energy and channel it into every song, they'd really be going places. It's incredibly difficult to be altogether original in this day and age, and 'A Nihilistic Swarm' doesn't even bother trying to be fresh or reinvent the wheel in any shape or form. At nearly 50 minutes long though, 'A Nihilistic Swarm' is a textbook example of an album that gives you what you want, but then hangs around like a bad smell for about another ten or fifteen minutes without really having any real reason for doing so. This kind of music works best in smaller doses- hopefully that's something these guys learn in the future.
- Spiritech
(See reviewer's scoring method)
