"Voimaton" is a Finnish word that loosely translates to "powerless." "Profane Vestige," The full-length debut from Chicago death-doom metal band, VOIMATON, is a promising album that was four years in the making. Four of its nine tracks are re-recordings from their earlier EPs and Demos. The songs oscillate between mediocrity and near perfection, with the good barely outnumbering the plain. The first standout track is the second on the album, "Malebolge." This song comes on strong with a quick, enticing bass guitar line that is followed by a prime example of this band's intensity. Tibbetts' low, guttural vocals hang in the air like the funk of a decaying corpse. The fun doesn't end there, the accompanying music is a groovy, sludgy mass, punctuated expertly with some bombastic drum work by O'Hara. The energy of this song is simply electric.

The third track, "Bile," keeps the energy going with some catchy riffs that develop after a chaotic introduction. The song then goes through several phases that exemplify exactly what this style of death-doom does best. This approach to songwriting keeps the listener on their toes, while still remaining true to the chugging groove established by the rhythm section. The song then closes with the same frantic chaos that it began with. Still going strong, track four, "Despondent Mass," is, once again, all about the drums. This track feels slightly more evolved than the previous three. From blast beats to flourishes to breakdowns, it's hard to not move to the music. As with the majority of the tracks on "Profane Vestige," this song will definitely get your head at least nodding, if not full-on banging from the intro to its slow, heavy conclusion.

Track six, "Phosphorescent Graves," is the shortest, yet densest song on the album. This is one of those songs that I imagine is best heard from the edges of a circle pit. It has all of the best aspects of the other tracks, just in a more concise package. This song is also a great barometer to judge whether or not this album is for you. The ninth, and final song on the album, "Enshrine Antipathy," is a master class in death-doom metal. It starts off with what I can only imagine is a tribute to BLACK SABBATH, notably, their song, "Black Sabbath." VOIMATON continues to make this opening riff the backbone of the entire song. This song starts off slow and heavy. The beginning isn't quite funeral doom slow, but it's close. As soon as this trend is established, they pick up the tempo and start chugging along like only the best of the sub-genre can do. Fordney's guitar work leans more toward the thrash side and he lets his skill shine. VOIMATON definitely went out on a good note.

If you like bands similar to ULTHAR and MOTIFERUM, then this album is a no-brainer. If you are curious about the extra heavy side of death-doom, you'd be better off listening to ULTHAR and MORTIFERUM. The noteworthy tracks outweigh the unremarkable ones on "Profane Vestige." There's a solid EP's worth of great music on display, and what they do right shows much promise. I'm eager to listen to future albums by VOIMATON, but I won't be heartbroken if this band quietly falls off of my radar.