Deathcore is a genre I take in small doses, if done well. What comes to mind is Desolate Tomb and Abated Mass of Flesh that I will play from time to time. The overt focus on brutality, heaviness, and raw emotions over technicality and melody shakes things up and stretches me as a reviewer. Over time, I’ve developed a hint of a taste, and an EP of deathcore sounds like it would hit the spot right now.
Formed in 2021, Voluntary Mortification is a rather new deathcore act, but one that hit the ground running. They signed to Rottweiler Records to release their debut, a concept album, “Suffer To Rise,” in 2022 which was rather well received. After a flash of a start, they had some lineup shifts and turned independent for this latest EP, giving them a taste for making all production decisions. If you couldn’t tell from the cover, the band’s mission is to bring Christ into the metal underground, but I do wonder if there is not also a mission to elevate metal in the eyes of Church as well.
VM is heavy and surprisingly engaging on this EP. There are the heavy slam sections, circle-pit thrashers with a myriad of transitions and breakdowns to keep you disoriented. The focus is on the vocals that are intense, raw and unhinged, swinging from deep growls to blackened screams to shouting. The drums and guitars can be felt in the chest as if you were right up front with a production that keeps the intensity without sacrificing clarity. Lyrically, there is abundant New Testament references and sacramental appeal with a heavy dose of Latin. If ever there was an appeal to the traditional Catholic that deathcore can be done right, it is here. The exception to the apostolic is the closer, an old-school Job For A Cowboy cover.
The music is intense. It is heavy and dark, apropos for the monochrome album cover. The opening “Death Cult” explodes into blast beats and intense ravings giving me the first taste of VM‘s brand of deathcore. In true genre fashion, it snaps into a slower slam allowing for the low guttural vocals to roar through heavy pounding riffs. “Plagues” is a similar affair, but has a more melodic riff as its backbone that threads through the song. Although the lyrics repeat the word “plague,” I kept hearing “blood,” which either is good for the music. I’m not the best on lyrics, even with clean vocals.
“Harvester” changes it up with ominous clean guitars in a slower tempo, setting an unsettling atmosphere. Once they get going, I get a sense of the band playing with different ways of shifting between the fast and the slow sections keeping repetition at bay. “Hemophagia” is my favorite on the EP, as it shows the band running on all cylinders with noticeable lead guitar work and unique guitar techniques like the alarm sound in the slow sections. It even has a black metal harmonic progression underpinning with haunting tones giving a great atmosphere. To top it off, the outro guitar solo is an excellent final musical statement and a fitting end to an EP.
Yet we have a JFAC cover in “Entombment Of A Machine” to finish it off. The choice of song makes clear VM’s roots as it is from JFAC’s debut EP. Although I liked the prior song as a closer, this one works as well with its almost imperceptible slowdown over the course of the song as the machine dies. Not having familiarity with the original song, VM‘s version sounds great and fits with the other songs.
I love that you can get the lyrics for all of their songs on their website, because I would be hopeless on my own. These are bold proclamations of Christ in gory presentation on subjects like Martyrdom in “Death Cult,” Plagues and the Deathly rider from The Apocalypse in “Plagues” and “Harvester,” and a grotesque, yet linguistically accurate, presentation of the bread of life discourse in John 6 in “Hemophagia.” I am struck by the profound meaning in the lyrics that speak to spiritual truth without sounding religiously superior. It is oddly accessible.
Not being a deathcore guy, this EP nails it for me. The 21 minute runtime is perfect for an EP and right about at my limit for deathcore. I like that the five songs each have their own nuances making the journey intriguing and easier to revisit. The bold Christian lyrics are sure to bring light to dark places, even if it is hard to decipher. “Mortem Cultus” is a very solid deathcore release and worthy of support.
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – Death Cult
2 – Plagues
3 – Harvester
4 – Hemophagia
5 – Entombment Of A Machine (Job For A Cowboy cover)
Voluntary Mortification is:
Conner Luttig – vocals
Jacob Kanclerz – rhythm guitar
Shane Lewis – lead guitar
Jon James – bass guitar
Giulian Cardillo – drums
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Record Label: Independent
Discography:
Suffer To Rise (2022) [review]
Mortem Cultus (EP) (2025)
Social Media: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp
Video for Hemaphagia
Lyric video for Death Cult