By: Eeli Helin
Album Type: EP
Date Released: 19/07/2019
Label: Season of Mist
“Metaportal” CD/DD track listing:
1. Remote Void
2. Cryptoubiquity
3. Bionic Relic
4. E-Xystem://CE
The Review:
It's always an extremely tough spot to lose someone.
Every single one of us knows the mental weight and physical toll it takes to
pull through it. When it comes to handling such a thing, there are no winners
or losers, there is not a right or wrong way to deal with it, granted that some
of the natural coping mechanisms written to our code might do more harm than
good in the greater scheme of things. Experiencing something first hand is also
always harder, and you can't even begin to imagine how someone else treats
those feelings. Transferring these instances to the world of music, it's always
untold what'll happen if a band loses one of it's members. It can go multiple
ways, and we as an audience have to respect that decision.
This scenario sadly came to reality with the Spanish
sci-fi tech death group Wormed last year, when they lost
their drummer G-Calero, whose outstanding performance can be heard on their
latest full-length, 2016's "Krighsu". Soon after the news
broke, Wormed announced that they will
continue their trek to the unimaginably immense, unexplored depths of the
cosmos, hence giving their listeners a moment of relief with a promise of new
music. Approximately a year from that, they announced their new EP titled
"Metaportal" will be released on July 19th, through Season of Mist.
"Metaportal" continues the
previous albums lead character Krighsu's (who is the very last posthuman being
in a robotised galaxy, mind you) voyage to the vast void. Krighsu must ingress
a colossal metaportal of unknown origin, in order to help a galactic system
endangered by an abysmal nano-technological war meant to wipe out the last
human-derivative being. However desperate and hopeless that might sound, "Metaportal"
offers some unexpectedly warm yet inconsolable tones Wormed hasn’t probed before, at least not to this
extent. My first impression was that the aforementioned loss might be the
direct causation to this. The robotic drones and mechanic hums have been
introduced on the previous albums, but this time around they are even more
elaborate and emotionally infused. That being said, these refined, fresh
aspects don't create a blanding effect, but rather give Wormed's output much needed
contrast. The mix is also perhaps more organic than before; Take that as you
will, it might sound a bit like a heresy all things considered. The atmosphere
is still tightened to extreme proportions at all times, so you will enjoy the
tone of this release if you've enjoyed the previous ones.
The EP opens in a signature manner with "Remote
Void"; Short intro followed by complete chaos underlaid with gravity
blasts and topped with Phlegeton's sewer creature-ish vocals. Habitually, rapid
tempo and time signature changes are constantly present, leaving absolutely no
room for easement at any point. This is also a trademark motion of Wormed, and considering
that alone, the EP format is very fitting and easier to digest by those with
less-hardened ears. While the actual song fires with all cylinders throughout,
the fresh ambiance pieces make their debut in the end, acting as a bridge to
the second track "Cryptoubiquity".
This pattern occurs through the whole releases, tying the individual songs
together, strengthening the cohesive atmosphere in a similar manner they do on
their full-lengths.
The third track "Bionic Relic" showcase the band stretching themselves
further than you could've ever imagined. The complexity is taken to a whole new
level, leaving the listener baffled, wondering how it is humanely possible to
perform music like this. Even after taking into account their absurd past work,
you'll hear a band continuously pushing itself to become greater, and that is
perhaps the most beautiful aspect to Wormed overall.
They already master their craft, there is not a single other band sounding like
this, but instead of beaming those familiar and safe grounds, they refine and
improve themselves. The finest examples of this progression might be the groovy
parts in "Cryptoubiquity"
that'll make your legs twitch uncontrollably even harder than before and the
slamming parts, long blast beat sections crusted with melodies and just the
general oddity and excitement caused by it during "Bionic Relic".
The closing track "E-Xystem://CE" throws some really unexpected curveballs
at your way before going back to more customary pace, mostly in terms of the
piano intro, followed by a calm and lanquid, emotive palm mutes vs open chords
section and a somewhat new(!) vocal style. This track highlights some
previously unexamined colours through catchy rhythms and eerie melodies that'll
get stuck in your head permanently. As a weird little fact, towards the end I
had to take off my headphones because I thought something was breaking. I was
correct in a way, but instead of failing technology, what was broken was my
spirit and well-being. Still, in a rather positive way. Since this is a
mini-release, you won't get to exhausted or worn out as you could with a
full-length, which adds to the tolerable and pleasant side of things. However, Wormed has all the
tools to transplant these tones to their albums, so "Metaportal" could
lead to some inconceivable, seriously mindboggling results.
What's for sure, is that if you didn't like them before,
you won't like them now, that's just how it is. A lot of intricacies will get
lost if you're not familiar with their older efforts. Wormed is also that kind of band
who has it's time and place, and it's by no means fitting to all occasions.
Another thing that it certain is, that you will love "Metaportal" if you
liked what you heard on "Exodromos" and "Krighsu".
You also have to appreciate the time and detail put into the lyrics, narrating
a developing and branching story that doesn't pale in comparison to those
sci-fi films that fly so far over your head. Without descending into any more
tautologies, you could educate yourself by reading these lyrics even if you
didn't enjoy the music at all, and that speaks about their value quite a lot. I
know I am interested in where the metaportal came from and what Krighsu will
discover after taking the leap and can't even begin to explain the excitement
I'm having for the follow-up.
“Metaportal” is available HERE
