Father Befouled – Crowned In Veneficum Review

There are a handful of operative words when it comes to Father Befouled’s work over the last twelve years or so. “Filthy” is one, and “vile” another, and both in the best possible sense – this is death metal, after all, and both of those traits are often among the genre’s most redeeming qualities.

Through five full-lengths now, and spate of splits and EPs, this Georgia-based duo-turned-quartet has dug themselves out a grimy little spot in the rotting mire between death and doom. Father Befouled’s particular foulness is a dark and noxious one, rife with tremolo-picked ugliness and squalling scuzz. From the midtempo blasts and clamorous guitar solos that open “Unheavenly Catechesis” through these thirty-six minutes to the doomed-down trudge of “Utter Abomination,” Crowned In Veneficum is every bit as filthy’s as the band’s best work, and given a slightly earthier and less polished production, it’s a notch or two more filthy than its most recent forebears, 2017’s Desolate Gods and 2012’s Revulsion Of Seraphic Grace. Those previous efforts felt a little too clean to these ears (although, admittedly, either is far from shiny), and though the production values are, by most standards, decreased here from there, the return to a rawer tone benefits Father Befouled’s particular foulness.

Another operative word in terms of describing Father Befouled would be “consistent,” perhaps even “reliable.”

Through those five full-lengths and various shorter offerings, only guitarist / vocalist Justin Stubbs remains from Father Befouled’s inception, but the gaps between records, both qualitative and stylistic, are slim. Each is a balancing act of carving death vs. despondent doom, shifting tempos from blasting to bulldozer to bogged-down, within the same song as much as across the record itself. “Unheavenly Catechism” itself encapsulates the ebb and flow in one track, starting with that combination of boiling lead guitar and blastbeats, then dropping into a toiling trudge, and finally resolving to driving a middle ground that ends earlier than it probably should, but hey, I get it… don’t overstay your welcome.

Of course, none of this is unexpected for this band, for whom the style is established and the parameters set. As mentioned, the most notable difference between Crowned and Desolate / Revulsion is that this newest one re-covers itself in a fresh layer of muck more reminiscent of earliest outings. Drummer and first-time Father Befoul-er Amos Rifkin (also of Encoffination and Deceased) keeps everything moving with a wound-up energy, whether faster or slower, beneath the gnarled guitar “melodies” and distant, reverb-laden vocals. Given the expected cavernous treatment, Stubbs’ gutturals are often indistinct, an ominous and poisonous wind blowing low across the bubbling bog of the instrumentation.

And of course, the elephant rotting in the room, the unavoidable operative word for succinctly describing Father Befouled is “Incantation,” with a dash of “Immolation,” and certainly not any “innovation.”

Yes, these foul fellows wear their influences proudly on their sleeve, but to write them off entirely as mere “Incantation worship” is selling them a bit short – a well-done homage to the masters of the olden days can still bring good ‘n’ icky death metal to the table, and Crowned In Veneficum is exactly that, exactly what you expect if you’ve kept up with Father Befouled thusfar, and a welcome return to a slightly uglier, slimier sound.

Cleanliness is overrated – sometimes it’s good to befoul.