By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 15/03/2019
Label: Willowtip
Records
if you miss latter day Death,
feast your ears on Atheist or love the Cynic debut then this will be music to
your ears, because this is impressive stuff.
“Their Worm Never Dies” CD//DD//LP track
listing:
1). Vaskania (The Evil Eye)
2. Exorcism
3. My Curse
4. The Petition
5. Among The Misled
6. Their Worm Never Dies
7. Whomsoever Worships the Whiteworm
3. My Curse
4. The Petition
5. Among The Misled
6. Their Worm Never Dies
7. Whomsoever Worships the Whiteworm
The Review:
Technical
and progressive death metal is surely an acquired taste- particularly when it
comes with the jazzy inflections that bands such as Contrarian
deliver by the bucketload. I reviewed the debut “Polemic” back in 2015, but
I missed their sophomore effort, “To Perceive Is To Suffer”.
So,
what have the Rochester, New York, based outfit come up with this time around?
Well, it once again references the past greats of the niche genre; latter day Death and Cynic are both in there.
Naturally, George Kollias being behind the kit is a huge draw for many DM heads
anyway. However, this is no Nile re-tread as he
plays technical and jazzy; he's using brushes at the start of “Exorcism” for satan's sake! The sound
is pretty great- quite spacious and not too slick. In fact, there is audible
hiss and an almost demo like quality to the sound. It's not compressed beyond
believe and it sounds authentic, old school and “real” in a way that albums
made on pro tools grids alone do not. The drum sound may take a little getting
used to, but that is for the listener to decide on. Don't expect boxy and muted
sounds... but don't expect zero triggers either!
As
the record progresses, it's clear that a fan of the first album will like this
one; the leads that open “My Curse”
are great, the vocals are another selling point; closer to Schuldiner than
Corpsegrinder and they help by dialling down the brutality- this is not
hyper-aggressive stuff. The riff passages are excellent and the clean intro of “The Petition” segues perfectly into
some mesmerising riffage.
The
progressive riffing of “Among The Misled”
coupled with the off kilter rhythms does a great job of making the listener pay
attention (cracking bass work, too). The title track is three minutes of melancholy
vibes and keen lead work- an unexpected twist in the album's tale. The closing
eight minutes of “Whomsoever Worships
The Whiteworm” is the most extreme track on here, in terms of structure,
delivery and sounds. The bass is super dexterous the time changes come thick
and fast and the playing is sublime.
To
sum up, then, this third album is a highly credible slice of technical and
progressive death metal. This is for all fans of any of the bands mentioned
here in comparative terms. Just like the debut, if you miss latter day Death, feast your ears on Atheist
or love the Cynic debut then this will be music to your
ears. Impressive stuff.
“Their
Worm Never Dies”
is available HERE
