Wormhole – Genesis

Wormhole
Genesis - 2016

While Lacerate Enemy Records deserve an entire article for themselves for releasing some of the best slam albums of the last decade, Wormhole's first full-length « Genesis » is worth a review on its own.

Released November 30^th 2016, I only came across it a couple of months ago. I clearly missed out, as it not only has the kind of riffs that tickle my eardrums just right, it's also got Duncan Bentley from Vulvodynia on vocals. If that isn't a selling point since Psychosadistic Design (Lacerated Enemy Records – 2016), I don't know what is.

Genesis starts out as an average 20XX slam album, reminiscent of Gluttonous Chunks (Inherited Suffering Records – 2016) era Coprocephalic, with memorable grooves and a fun introductory slam. Overall, the flow is controlled and intelligently written, with counterrythms and disorienting fills keeping you on your feet. It's the kind of band during which you'd see a crowd of uncoordinated heads bobbing to imaginary beats, each in different tempos.

The composition is good, but the actual riffs are stellar – Genesis is one of those rare albums that sounds like it's telling a story. After a couple of songs, you begin to feel the exertion of running from predators, hiding in the dark, or vaulting over obstacles while feeling death's breath on your neck. In the heat of the moment, you trip into a solo, sending you into a hellish roller coaster of screams and terror. Speaking of solos, some guitarists find themselves in that terrible spot wherein they write similar sections. This isn't the case for the Kumar brothers, both responsible for the melodies that accompany you through madness and despair. Part beautiful swan-songs, part terrific shred demonstrations, each solo has its personality. The fact that Sanil and Sanjay can write such good slams, tech-death riffs and solos almost makes it sound like three different bands wrote together.

The vocals might be the weaker point of the album, though I'd put that on the mix. They do the job when accompanied, but their tone is somewhat lacking when alone. I wouldn't want to sound like I didn't like them though – the second half of the album forgives a lot of what was missing during the first, with the ending of Gravity Manipulation Unit being an unholy chorus of diseased voices, or the trademark Duncan Bentley deep « spoken-word » death metal.

As a parting note, no matter what you think of the programmed drums trend, Wormhole did a great job making it sound believable and entertaining. Switching beats around and having fun with realistic fills make for a much better album.

Giuseppe Fitzsimmons

Comments

Grime - Live

Grime Live – Oct. 2017 The air is heavy, the lights are dim, and the conversations skittle away, hiding in the corners as Grime takes to the stage. Eyes up and hair down, I knew we were in for something good. Grime, the italian sludge act, released their first album in 2013 on the well-known Mordgrimm records. They might be the best-named band I can think of – the unclean buzz of the strings and damp mix of instruments give off a filthy, pock-marked sound, the kind you'd hear from scraping a sewer floor. I didn't know of them until their 2015 record, Circle of Molesters, but they're the kind of band who can do no wrong. The first note hit, and the bass shook me in unholy ways. After staggering a few steps back, I looked up at the stage and saw some of the best lighting since Messuggah. A white backdrop, searchlight-style movement carving the silhouettes of Grime into my retina. Marco, lead guitar, was spectacular in his theatrics. Doubling over in rage and p...

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton Dark Essence Records – 2017 There's a rare breed of album which instantly becomes a cult classic, and I can confidently say Over Phlegeton is one of them. Experimental, weird, bizarre, none of these words come close to describing just how extraordinary and interesting this record is. If I had to draw parallels with another band, I'd say it's a heavier, more mature version of Mamaleek, with many similar elements such as the ethnic percussions or non-traditional scales, but with a much darker visage and more detailed composition. There have been incredible avant-garde metal albums using unconventional instruments, but none have been so tactfully used as the saxophone is on Over Phlegeton. Played as a full instrument and not a token nod to some jazzy experimentation, Five the Hierophant explore the extremeties of what the sax can do – from screaming leads floating above the guitars to wailing voices in the wind, passing by hear...

Analepsy – Atrocities from Beyond

When I say slam, people usually think of the Russian scene, often citing ultra-heavyweights Abominable Putridity. Well, it turns out Portugal is also amazing at mid-tempo grooving. Their first release, Dehumanization by Supremacy, was an exceptional debut from any point of view. The production was spot-on, the songs had great flow, and the slams were goddamn heavy. The vocals were arguably the least impressive, mainly because there was so little variety – which is something given that we’re talking about brutal death metal here. On Atrocities from Beyond, the man behind the mic is replaced by the lead guitarist, Diogo Santana, and this man’s range is far superior – there are some nice mid-ranged growls mixed and that really give the gutturals punch by contrast. They’ve hired backup on a couple of songs, including the legendary Larry Wang from Coprocephalic, who’s always a welcome addition to any album. It’s great to hear how the songwriting grew between the two records. The first ...

Undergrind Metal

Search This Blog