San Antonio has long been fertile ground for extreme metal, and Voracious Contempt are putting their own spin on that lineage by blending brutal death metal with a strong emphasis on groove.
The band formed in mid-2023, as several members watched their previous death metal projects wind down. Rather than starting another band in the same vein, drummer Sam Guerra says they found common ground in pushing brutal death metal in a different direction. “We all shared a common interest in pushing the boundaries of brutal death with our own hip-hop influences and grooves,” Guerra tells me. Additional members with roots in an earlier San Antonio band eventually joined, completing the current Voracious Contempt lineup.
Musically, guitarist Caden Whitten points to Defeated Sanity and Cryptopsy, alongside a healthy dose of Texas death metal history. He names Prophecy, Insidious Decrepancy, and Devourment among the home-state influences, while a certain San Franciscan band recently became particularly important to the band's approach. “'Empires' by Animosity has also become a major influence on us in the guitar work and structures of songs,” Whitten says.
That collection of influences feeds into Voracious Contempt's new EP, Chambers of Infinite Dissolution, which the band sees as a noticeable progression from its earlier material. “We're really excited to show off what we've been working on,” guitarist Ricco says. “For sure, there's a great deal of improvement from the past release.”
The band recorded the drums with their label, OWTG, while the remainder of the material was handled by Darrel Belmarez, who has worked with Voracious Contempt since their demo. Guerra and Whitten led much of the writing and thematic direction, drawing inspiration from old-school monsters and H.R. Giger-style imagery.
Voracious Contempt also comes from a San Antonio heavy music scene that Guerra sees as particularly healthy right now. “San Antonio is among a lucky few that just doesn't seem to miss with new releases,” he says. “Right now, there's something for everyone in San Antonio, with more coming out every month.”
While Guerra says there aren't many local bands working in quite the same territory as Voracious Contempt, he recommends San Antonio's Heaven Denied along with two McAllen groups, Mankind and Nekrotic.
And despite Chambers of Infinite Dissolution hitting streaming outlets just last month, Voracious Contempt aren't planning on sitting around for long afterward. According to Guerra, they're already close to being ready to record again. “Don't want to give too much away, but it could be sooner than expected,” he says.
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Voracious Contempt on social media: Instagram
