It’s interesting how, sometimes, listening to something in a different language doesn’t initially catch you off guard. Such was the case with Thornafire‘s Vorex Deconstrucción, which is sung (if you can call it that) entirely in Spanish, a language that I myself am in the process of learning, although not quickly enough to understand what’s being spewed forth by these Chileans. Whatever it is, it’s hateful and most definitely evil, albeit toned down a bit from 2007’s Exacerbated Gnostic Manifestation.

First, let’s get this out of the way: keyboard intros are A) overdone, B) corny, and C) misleading, especially when paired with blazing death metal. The one opening “Hacia la Ruina del Agartha” is totally unnecessary; for 20 seconds I wondered if I was headed into a recycled Dimmu Borgir song, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. The rest of the opening track is decent, not mindblowing, but it pulses with a vibe that controls much of the rest of Vorex Deconstrucción – one that’s dizzying and reminiscent of later-era Morbid Angel. Tracks like “En el Eon de las Falacias” and “…Por el Delirio” are breakneck death marches, thanks to machine-gun drums and bayonet-edged riffs. “Deconstrucción” and “Confesion,” on the other hand, are odes to the old gods if such things ever existed, complete with crawling, pulsing Lovecraftian grooves.

As said at the beginning of the review, Vorex Deconstrucción doesn’t quite have the same bite of its predecessor, but the bark is undoubtedly still there. The production isn’t quite as thick either, but it’s clearer, almost as though the proverbial flesh has been ripped off to expose the taut musculature within Thornafire‘s collective musical body. Sure, comparisons to other Hispanic metal bands could be made, but Thornafire seemingly takes as much influence from the American scene as it does from the South American one. Besides, there’s something older and more sinister at play here, something that’s harshly angular and oozingly primal at once, which is what it’s really all about – not the band’s geographical location. This will probably not be a contender for album of the year, but it’s a good chunk of old-school slime worship.

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