By Andrew Bansal
Hailing from Houston, Texas, stoner metal quartet Venomous Maximus announced their arrival with in 2012 with the release of their debut full-length album ‘Beg Upon The Light’. Traveling a path on which they’ve gained recognition from mainstream Texas-based press outlets and underground metal fanatics alike, Venomous Maximus put a great amount of work and thought into the follow-up album. Their sophomore effort ‘Firewalker’ is now ready for release on May 19 via Shadow Kingdom Records, and should stand to serve as a representation of the group’s metamorphosis.
In comparison to the quintessentially stoner/doom/occult stylings dominant on the debut effort, Venomous Maximus have turned things up a few notches with faster tempo, cleaner melodies, stronger vocals, and a decidedly more traditional metal vibe on ‘Firewalker’, even though the stoner doom tendencies are very much still intact. The album presents its catchiest and fastest in its initial stages, getting the listener on the hook straightaway with the minute-long intro piece followed by ‘White Rose’, while the main riff, solos and vocals decorating ‘Through The Black’ possess the power to make a longlasting impact and resonate in the headspace even when one is not listening to the song. The record then eases and settles with the delightful mid-tempo composition ‘Dark Waves’, and presents some soaring guitar melodies in ‘October 14’, reminiscent of the type of sound bands like Dawnbringer usually portray. Things take a psychedelic turn with the Firewalker theme, after which four more extremely solid tracks keep the listeners engaged till the very last note.
The most strikingly constant sonic feature of ‘Firewalker’ is the unmistakable gallop created by the skillful combination of the guitar parts and the rhythm section. A nod to the old-school, it’s a quality that deems these songs worthy of headbanging endlessly to in the live setting, and also makes the album a suitable travel companion when cranked through car stereos.
With the quality of the creative effort they’ve put in this new material, Venomous Maximus have evolved into a thoroughly enjoyable musical entity, much more so than before. ‘Firewalker’ will sooth heavy music loving souls for years to come.
Rating: 9/10
Record Label: Shadow Kingdom
Release Date: May 19th 2015
Track Listing:
01. Intro
02. White Rose
03. Through The Black
04. Dark Waves
05. October 14
06. Firewalker Theme
07. Angel Heart
08. My Machine
09. Fire In The Night
10. Take On The Grave
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