There was a definite air of anticipation surrounding the new Venom Prison album. After they exploded onto the death metal scene in 2016 with debut full-length Animus following years of perfecting their craft on countless hardcore bills, the Wales-via-Germany-via-Russia noisemongers had set a very high bar for themselves. Couple this with the fact they’d been sharpening their claws by rubbing shoulders with metal giants like Trivium on tour (and next year they’ll head out with Parkway Drive), and all signs, rightly, pointed to a band ready to do something very special. Samsara is the best death metal album of the year, no question. Where Animus laid the foundations for the formidable five-piece’s sound, this is a cathedral of brutality. The rugged, ragged sonic warfare of that debut wa...
