Style: Brutal death metal, technical death metal, dissonant death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Defeated Sanity, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, Cryptopsy
Country: India
Release date: 6 March 2026

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Brutal and dissonant death metal have a visceral and primal appeal that successfully unites fans across language and geographic barriers. The infectious grooves and unrelenting pummeling provide a cathartic release that brutality enthusiasts can’t live without. Think of the genre as a supremely bitter cup of coffee that so many of us need to get up and going in the morning. Leave out the cream and sugar, savor the bitter. As students of the scene, India’s Virodh attempt to blend the unhinged fusion-led brutality of Defeated Sanity with the technical groove of recent Dying Fetus. With a growing Indian metal scene, will Virodh distinguish themselves in their debut album, Harvest of Desolation? Or will Virodh succumb to the brutality that they seek to tame?

Unfortunately, Virodh have brewed up a foul batch that is often hard to stomach. The production of Harvest of Desolation is incredibly flat, making the album feel like it exists on a two-dimensional plane. The form of brutal death metal that Virodh aspire to produce requires a supreme technicality in the performances. This must be coupled, however, with a production that allows the listener to clearly hear the standout instrumentation, providing clarity to the madness. In Harvest of Desolation, all we are left with is muddled chaos. Prannaw Chhetri’s drums often dominate and suffocate the listening experience. There is a constant and overwhelming cacophony of cymbal strikes, demonstrated throughout “Harvest of Desolation”, that is far more distracting than compelling. The bass drum is a muffled rumble that pushes the strings away, while the snare flailing in “Kings of Deceit” is a constant snapping that distracts from the surrounding band. Chhetri’s performance brings to mind the drumming of the Muppets character Animal, often unwelcomed madness that should remain down in the basement.

Behind the chaotic drumming, guitarist Sourav Koer provides a blend of largely uninteresting riffs, which also suffer from the sub-par production. While the drums dominate, the individual guitar notes are often blurred together into an incomprehensible mess—that is, when they are audible over Chhetri’s pounding. Virodh tend to start tracks with a burst of chaos and end just as abruptly. In “Kafkaesque”, Koer begins with a rapid, tumultuous riff that quickly slows to a brief section of ascending triplets, followed by an unsuccessful, rushed attempt at a Dying Fetus-like groove. Ultimately, the track simply stops without any sort of conclusion, sounding like the studio lost power in the middle of the recording. Koer’s guitar solos are similarly soulless and lack identifiable character. Whether it is the Kerry King-esque uninspired tremolo bar wailing of “Kafkaesque” or the attempt at finger-tapping and sweeping arpeggios in “King of Deceit”, the recordings sound rushed and the compositions poorly constructed. 

As for the vocals, Rudra provides two blends of attack. His standard low, brutal growling is effective and passable for brutal death metal. However, he often employs a straining roar that quickly becomes annoying. We all know what too much coffee can do to the gastrointestinal system, and Rudra’s strained mid-pitched screams sound like he is audibly struggling to relieve his bowels.

In the few sections where Harvest of Desolation’s production provides intelligible breaths of air, like the midpoint of “Great Depression” and in various sections of “King of Deceit”, Virodh can pass as an average brutal death band. But the combination of chaotic and overwhelming drumming, uninteresting and muddied guitar work, and grating vocals leaves few redeeming qualities to discuss. Hopefully future efforts from Virodh will provide more focused songwriting and inspired performances, coupled with a marked improvement in production. The end effect will hopefully be a more palatable brew than what was provided in  Harvest of Desolation.

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Recommended Tracks: Dissolution of Karma, Kings of Deceit, Great Depression
You may also like: Implant Soul, Brodequin, Wormed, Pyrexia, Wormhole
Final verdict: 3/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Erymanthian Records

Virodh is:
– Sourav Koer (guitars)
– Arun Natarajan (bass)
– Pranaw Chhetri (drums)
– Rudra (vocals)