Album Type: Full length
Date Released: 20/10/2017
Label: Translation
Loss Records
Wormwood's
performance on "Mooncurse" is doom in the purest sense. Purposeful
pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty.
As you make your way to "Passage of Fire," Wormwood's greatest
traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical
sequences and undefeatable heaviness
"Mooncurse" CD//DD//LP track listing
1.
Infinite Darkness
2.
The Undesirables
3.
Forlorn
4.
Mooncurse
5.
Parasitic Twin
6.
Burn the Psychic Vision
7.
Passage of Fire
The Review:
Terms
like 'supergroup' are so overused that it is near impossible to truly quantify
it with anything real. Shouldn't bands from which players come from reach a
particular echelon, sales threshold or, well, something? So when a fantastic
band like Boston
In
the case of Wormwood,
those gifts come from both intense chemistry and superlative musicianship.
Drummer Chris Bevilacqua and
guitarist Chris Pupecki, previously
known from local act Doomriders, offered up Wormwood's self-titled debut EP
in 2014. The heaviness of that premiere was so warmly received that hopes rose
for Wormwood's
return. Three years and two new members – Mike
Gowell, previously of Phantom Glue, on guitar and Greg Weeks, previously of Red Chord, on bass – later, and Wormwood
strikes back, with the 's' word bandied about, and an impressive new album, "Mooncurse," to show for it.
When
it was a duo, the band was particularly effective at setting a claustrophobic
mood through distortion, rhythm and harrowing effects. Now as a quartet, Wormwood
redoubles this commitment by making even richer sounds in this regard. Wormwood
touches down with "Infinite
Darkness," whose haunting strings set up what becomes quickly a
throttling opening cut. Into "The
Undesirables," previewed for this album, you hear a prime example of
how much larger Wormwood
sound with its extra hands and more much more penetrating approach. The pacing
of this song and lyrics make it a standout. Meanwhile, "Forlorn," which follows it, a
striking instance of a change up that does not sound out of place or confusing;
cresting slowly, the song's guitar assault comes in fits and starts, at first
with an almost folk-style chord progression into a much more rapacious attack.
Wormwood's performance on
"Mooncurse" is doom in the
purest sense. Even its fastest playing is in the spirit of some of the best
offerings this year. Purposeful pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty. A
song like "Burn the Psychic
Vision" is such a great listen because it is well arranged, with drums
and bass that luxuriously creep through your mind's eye. The new double guitar
lineup adds depth to this cut, as well as to entries such as "Parasitic Twin" and the
title track. As you make your way to "Passage
of Fire," Wormwood's greatest
traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical
sequences and undefeatable heaviness. Whether you subscribe to the supergroup
tag or not, Wormwood
lives up to the road it cut in its debut, and then some, with a full-length to
be appreciated.
"Mooncurse" is available here
