Venomous Maximus-Beg Upon The Light

Napalm Records
2013

Despite having a name that sounds like some cheesy villain, straight out a eighties cartoon series with it's own set of toys no less, this Texas outfit's full-length debut album is anything but cheap and plastic! With a pair of demos, and not to mention a compilation CD, preceding this release the time has now come for this Texas band to truly make their mark on the scene. For their first act, or this full-length debut album if you will, the band has signed their names in blood for this unholy collection of tracks. But, first things first. For the record "Beg Upon The Light" looks as if it was originally released back in October of 2012. Somewhat fittingly in time for Halloween no doubt!. So, from the looks of it all you ghouls and goblins, Napalm Records is now just handling the mass release for this album that is drenched in blood. As for what kind of poison Venomous Maximus has concocted?  Well, here we find a rather tasty little metal treat for those who like to have unearthly soundtracks humming around them as they walk under the moon's chilling glow. That's especially true if you like your midnight (black) mass music to contain metal that's darkly-tinted and overtly occultist in nature. For you see Venomous Maximus, a 4-piece outfit and/or demonic reckoning, offers the listening public corrosive, doom-lavished, dark metal with a smokey aftertaste and a loud proclamation that the devil calling out for you to be his co-pilot. Stoner rock meets occult rock through an ad in doom lover's monthly newsletter? That might work, but it gets even weirder when you consider that lead singer Gregg Higgins, in a fashion that sends shivers down your back, often time channels the ghost of Rozz Williams. For you younger readers, out there in the dark cold recesses of time and space (or the Internet if you will), that's the late front-man of Christian Death. Yes, it's the same man whose album, "Only Theatre Of Pain", helped established deathrock as a religious movement and in Gregg's hands, well, let's just say that Rozz has plenty more to say. In other words, that right there (this eerie, uncaring, cold and dreary rock/metal) is the stuff horrifying nightmares and late night ghost visits are made of. Is this music a house haunting in the making? Does it travel back to a time in which listening to rock music and heavy metal was the solo reported cause of societal downfall? Does it, like so many evil albums before it, help lead to a gateway to other-side? Not alone it probably doesn't. But what of the fiery pits of Hades? Gregg Higgins's ghoulish delivery sure makes it seem all the more real and closer at hand then ever before! The sound that results from the toxic combination of Gregg's singing and the band's unnerving dark metal is like something trying to crawl it's way into our world. It comes off as downright creepy. As this album uncurled itself like a famous snake of old (think Genesis kiddos) the tracks just go deeper and deeper and you feel at a loss as you find that your travels have taken you further from home then you ever dared imagine. Looking back all you see is darkness and the only sound at all that you can hope to make out is this album fading into nothingness. That's the gist of "Beg Upon The Night" right there. Sure, on the suffice, it might just come off as some doom, a little dark metal, maybe some death rock to spice things up and, of course it's obligatory these days, some heavy stoner rock riffing, but it's more then meets the eye. Scratch the suffice and this one is ghastly and just not of this earth!