Album/EP

Vulvodynia - Entabeni (Album Review)

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Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Jul 3, 2024

7 min read

Vulvodynia – Entabeni
Released: July 5th, 2024

Line Up:

Lwandile Prusent // Vocals & Guitars
Luke Haarhoff // Guitars
Kris Xenopoulos // Guitars
Thomas Hughes // Drums

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Saying South Africa’s premier extreme metal act Vulvodynia has had an interesting last 12 or so months would be an understatement. Following the shock – and seemingly fully justified – dismissal of founding member and frontman Duncan Bentley in May of ‘23, the future of the slamming deathcore unit seemed bleak. However, refusing to let the last decade-plus of hard work be derailed – especially with the band’s profile being raised due to the last couple of years of hard international touring – the remaining four members pulled themselves back up and got right back into the thick of it. With guitarist Lwandile Prusent moving into the vocalist role, Vulvodynia’s fifth full-length Entabeni promises not only the next chapter of the group but a leap forward in maturity and musical growth.

As the artwork and song titles suggest, Entabeni is a different beast than Vulvodynia’s previous material. The sci-fi and gore-focused elements of their previous releases are almost completely wiped away, with this new LP’s themes based on various African legends, stories, and folklore. It’s certainly a unique angle that is treated with equal parts reverence and confidence, and because of this, it doesn’t seem either hackneyed or ill-fitting with the quartet’s violent sound. ‘Devil Tree’ is a destructive album opener-proper, while the middle section of the brutal ‘Randlord’ shows the band has lost none of their heaviness. Multiple moments across Entabeni highlight Vulvodynia’s focus on song structure, composition, and riffage; such as the layered and immediately attesting chorus of ‘It Follows’, with subtle feel changes and a thumping outro, and the shred-filled, LP middle point ‘Mamlambo’.

Working once again with modern death metal guru Christian Donaldson (Ingested, Shadow of Intent, Suffocation), Vulvodynia’s uniquely biting guitar tone sits nicely amongst the massive mix on Entabeni. There is plenty of slippery lead guitar work on the album, with Prusent still contributing the occasional shred break on top of his new frontman role along with axemen Luke Haarhoff and Kris Xenopoulos. The debuting vocalist does an admirable job stepping up to the microphone, covering his predecessor's vocal range while eschewing any unnecessary ‘tough-guy’ call-outs. Prusent’s only fault is perhaps a lack of uniqueness; but considering he wasn’t a vocalist a year ago, this side of his performance will no doubt develop over time.

‘Mangled & Maimed’ - as the name suggests - is the most straightforward, visceral cut on the record, while ‘Isandlwana’ (one for the history buffs), featuring the always reliable David Simonich of Signs of the Swarm, might home Entabeni’s wildest ending, with the track’s pinch harmonic-driven middle moving into an awesome, old-school panning breakdown. The mood-driven, yet bouncy 'Generational Segregation' serves as a great closer - so good that it’s almost a shame to have it tucked away at the end of the record.

The “phoenix from the ashes” story in the music biz is a cliche older than the industry itself. Still, it’s hard not to think that Vulvodynia have essentially come from the brink of dissolution to release their most consistent, mature, and inspired-sounding effort to date. Previous albums hinted at their potential, but always felt too overweighted and missing that "stand out" factor; with Entabeni, the South Africans have definitively landed onto their niche. Fusing the most violent and grabbing elements of deathcore, slam, and brutal death metal in a fresh concept, Vulvodynia may be too extreme for most - but those in the know will recognise the immense leveling up on Entabeni.