From the mind of death metal purveyors Seth Metoyer and Kris Olson (of Mangled Carpenter fame) comes the provocatively-named Pulpit Vomit. Before now, the project was most famous for its holiday-themed songs (such as the Thanksgiving anthem "Turkey Annihilation"). But now they've partnered with Broken Curfew and Rottweiler Records for the release of their brutal debut album, Hospital Lens.

From the start, Pulpit Vomit smacks the listener upside the head with intensity. "Razor Jaw" is a blistering opening track, with vicious shrieking from Metoyer and raw, unfiltered guitars and drums from Kris and Tim Olson, respectively. "Ghost in the Bedroom Closet" is even filthier, veering straight into grindcore territory. Grindcore is typically a bit past my tolerance level, but I don't mind it in small doses. The song is pretty messy, but it's over quickly before hitting album highlights "The Filth" and "No Place In Power." Here we get a taste of the band's unrelenting death metal blended with a small taste of beatdown/hardcore, and it works really well. These are two tracks I'd be most likely to come back to.

An untitled instrumental track serves as a nice palate cleanser before the listener is once again pummeled by the controlled chaos of "Skin Collector." The song is thrashy, loud, and reminds me of Advent a little (though a bit heavier). Hospital Lens takes another surprising turn with "Midnight Nun," which almost sounds Living Sacrifice-inspired with its rhythmic, percussive, almost groove metal sound. The vocals are a lot grimier than Bruce Fitzhugh's, though, as they are on the smashing closing track, "Spewing Vomit from the Pulpit." The band takes its last opportunity to hit the listener hard and heavy, and definitely accomplishes its mission, going full-blast until the sudden last note. And just like that, after no more than 17 minutes, the album comes to an abrupt end and is ready to go again.

Now, a lot of times, a band with a name like Pulpit Vomit would bring with it a more grotesque lyricism that might make one's stomach queasy. Even some Christian death metal acts use this lyrical strategy, though with obviously different intentions. However, the lyrics of Hospital Lens take a different approach, instead blending cryptic (and occasionally creepy) lyrics with some references to faith. "No Place In Power" even takes shots at the evil of political leaders using their position for their own selfish purposes (without naming any names along the way). "Spewing Vomit from the Pulpit" is similar, as it disavows false teachers who speak lies from the pulpit and lead their congregations astray ("False preachers at the altar spit / spewing vomit from the pulpit / deaf to cries they refuse / blind leading to misery / blackened skies, the storm begins / truth is lost in crimson sins / reflection fractured, nothing's clear / scars festering year after year"). The album is never explicitly Christian, but there's a lot of Biblical truth to be uncovered. It's dark, it's spiritual, and it obviously looks pretty bleak. But as "The Filth" reminds us, "somewhere beyond this decay / a whisper, small and burning, calls from the void / a voice of old, a hand unseen, reaching."

Hospital Lens is brutal. It's rough around the edges, maybe a little (probably purposefully) underproduced, and will be a hard sell to most fans of modern metal. But those willing to spend time with it will surely find something to cling onto. It's laced to the brim with intensity, skillful musicianship, and thoughtful, unapologetic lyrics. What more can you ask for?

- Review date: 7/23/25, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 

 Record Label: Rottweiler Records / Broken Curfew Records
 Album length: 8 tracks: 16 minutes, 38 seconds
 Street Date: July 25, 2025
 Buy It: Bandcamp

1. Razor Jaw (1:57)
2. Ghost in the Bedroom Closet (1:04)
3. The Filth (2:49)
4. No Place In Power (1:54)
5. Untitled Instrumental (2:30)
6. Skin Collector (1:22)
7. Midnight Nun (3:05)
8. Spewing Vomit from the Pulpit (1:57)