Guild of Destruction – a.k.a. G.O.D. – has got to be Australia’s best kept death metal secret. In a land known for its extra ferocious, Christ crushing, war fed metal, G.O.D. fits right in as a behemoth in its own right. It was 2007’s Into Oblivion that first got my attention; ah hell, it knocked me right on my ass! Though the delivery was unrelentingly death metal, terms like “war metal” would not be out of place, especially when considering the manner in which the band mixed dirty thrash and slivers of black metal into its attention-grabbing compositions. As important as anything else though was the sheer aural punishment and unmitigated violence to go with the tight delivery and concrete busting rhythm section.

On We are Vermin those very same characteristics are present and while I’m not quite as fond of the new album as I was Into Oblivion – it’s very close though – the overall flow of the album is better. By that I mean that band has seemed to hit stride from a songwriting point of view and has locked down its approach to an even tighter degree. There are oodles of strong, jagged-edged riffs to go with a pummeling delivering that is every bit as forceful, yet more varied, as Hate Eternal. In fact, the drumming (or “Battery Assault”) of Xavier is jack hammered and gut punched. The growls and screams of Josh are a high point as well.

And what better way to start off than with a bone breaker called “Brutal as Cunt.” The title is so fitting to the G.O.D. method that it’s ridiculous. Songs like “Mutating the Gene” show an improved sense of structure, adding contrasting lightness to go with some seriously chunky riffs and rhythmic reverberations. The same can be said of “When Angels Fuck Demons,” beginning with acoustic guitars and background voices and moving into thick and ominously melodic chords, as well as being inclusive of great soloing, the latter aspect present throughout the disc. “Suffering the Beast” and “The Abyss” are both apt representations of the improved compositional dynamics, the former offering both slow-burn/head-nod cadences, sizzling leads over brutal chug, and good ‘ole blasting, while the latter is noteworthy for its swells accented with arpeggio sweeps and its speed-kill section of staccato vocal patterning.

Overall, what stands out most on We are Vermin are the fat ‘n nasty riffs and chord textures. Well, maybe not most, as it is the decimating qualities of almighty G.O.D. that make We are Vermin such a vicious kick in the teeth.

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