VILE RITES

Vile Rites biography
Vile Rites are a North American progressive death metal band currently based in Santa Rosa, California. Founded in 2016, the group was originally conceived in Portland, Oregon as the technical blackened thrash project of guitarist/vocalist Alex Miletich (of Mortuous and Trecelence) and future Toxic Holocaust drummer Tyler Becker. Miletich continued the band upon moving to Santa Rosa, switching to a more death metal-focused sound and recruiting the talents of bassist Stephen Coon (of prog-thrash groups Vektor and Incredulous) and drummer Aerin Johnson (of Laceration).

Vile Rites marry the cosmic technicality of groups like StarGazer and Inanna with the melodic ambition of Anata and Opeth, influenced by death metal old and new along with 1970s krautrock, psychedelic and progressive rock (explicitly mentioning Rush, Captain Beyond, Nektar and Gentle Giant). Miletich describes his lyrics as "personification of elements of nature and the universe sort of commenting on the ways of mankind," with the band name itself "encapsulat[ing] that whole theme of looking at our societal norms from an outside perspective and being disgusted with lack of empathy and understanding of the natural world around us."

The trio's debut, the 2022 EP The Ageless, was released independently and through Desert Wastelands Productions, conceptualising "the evolution of human society and ultimately [its] own self-destruction and devolution" as seen from the perspective of the tenacious Methuselah tree of east California. Later signing to Carbonized Records, Vile Rites put forth their first full-length, Senescence, in 2024, a loose concept album detailing "the life cycle of the octopus...a profound symbol for the sacrifices that mothers make to create new life, but for the endless cycle of death and rebirth in general. We are born into the world with nothing but a vessel, and we only leave behind the legacy of what we've created."

Vile Rites operate in the same orbit as Lunar Chamber, VoidCeremony, Ænigmatum, Horrendous and Cryptic Shift.