So if you haven’t heard of Ethan McCarthy, the time to correct that is now. One of the growing names in underground extreme music, there is no lack of content available with his name attached. Most widely known for blackened sludge act, Primitive Man, Ethan “ELM” has also fronted Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire and recently been involved with Withered. But my personal favorite ELM project, and the focus of this review, is Vermin Womb
Based out of Colorado, Vermin Womb is a trio that fuses grindcore, death metal, doom metal, and crust into a sickening display of destructive force. ELM handles guitars and, erm, “vocals.” If there is one thing in common between all of these groups, it is that this word must be used lightly. These are death grunts starved, caged, and stripped to a feral state. Expect no self-parody here; only raw and impenetrable sickness
The music follows suit perfectly with contorted punkdeath riffs set to a crusty D-beat. While Primitive Man is focused on creating harrowing nightmares over the course of molasses-slow arrangements, Vermin Womb is far more interested in going straight for the throat. Distortion and drums race each other furiously to the precipice with equal parts Pig Destroyer and ZOM. The resulting confusion of howling and noise is like being chased by a wolfman through the backstage of a Dead Kennedys show.
If that’s the kind of experience that agrees with you, you can pick up the Permanence EP for the price of your choosing. I have not heard about plans for further material at this time, but as we sit in anticipation, you can wet your beak with the similar style of Cling to the Trees or much doomier Primitive Man (who just released a new, free single). In any case, consider yourself informed of one of the most hard working all-stars of metal’s underground scene. Recognize.