The concept surrounding international projects is a daunting, yet fairly intriguing one that's caught my attention especially when it generally comes down to slam and brutal death, since they seem so dime a dozen nowadays. Wormhole stands boldly as one such band that started out having members (namely vox by South African slammer Duncan Bentley as well as Calum Forrest from Scotland) from outside the United States, though they've currently settled in Baltimore, Maryland with a fully American line-up as far as I know as of today. Just being a few years old, this science fiction-esque and Metroid obsessed quintet mixes up slamming brutal death with some rather techy and once in a blue moon progressive elements. They've had one prior full-length release in 2016...and now they're back with a vengeance and a brand new album in hand via Lacerated Enemy Records in the form of The Weakest Among Us. With eight brutal tracks divised into around 28 minutes of vast tech-slam content and artworm courtesy of the almighty Lordigan, it's time to find out what the fuss is all about regarding this one!
The start lies within a disjointed intro that takes no time to get right into the chromatic slammetry and Beyond Creation-esque riffery that goes into some groundbreaking territory at times, though the slams greatly outweigh the aforementioned most of the time. I really have to give credit to a few distinct aspects of this album: one being the slowdown-breakdowns that make me want to mosh hard af until my entire head falls off its hinges; and exhibit B being found in the subtle little bass lines in between the Entombed solo work and Disentomb style blast beat/chug sections. It's a mixed bag full of stuff that surprises you at nearly every turn. In one section you'll have a comical audio sample that'll soon turn dark as the low tuned guitars and Pathology or Abominable Putridity inspired sounding vocals come in, such as track #2. A few of the more progressive parts, such as in songs like 'D-S3', remind me of the Dharmata release by Defeated Sanity mainly because of the way in which they flow seamlessly and quickly transition into lightning-paced brutality in the midst of toilet vox and slow slams.
Some other notable sections worth mentioning about The Weakest Among Us include the exhilarating MySpace-era pig squeals and guitar solo to be heard in '.Wave Quake Generator Plasma Artillery Cannon' as well as the mosh slamming breakdown in the following track that was as close to Cephalotripsy/Traumatomy level stuff that I've heard in quite a while. Most of the rest of the album is pretty much just recycled tech riffs, slam slowdowns and blast beats that lead into the aforementioned. Once in a while you'll be in for a surprise, such as the little proggy riffs. Although, the added Wormed vibes are one thing that I really felt in the progression and general vocal energy, with a ton of those traits being heard towards the album's end. One main gripe that I had with this release was in the vocals, which I thought relied on way too much of the run-of-the-mill gutturals and toilet squeals akin to Johnathan Huber or Matti Way style. Don't get me wrong, they're not too bad in the execution, but I just wish there was more of the classic low growls in their place for some reason, though I understand these fit the style more. I also wish there were more catchy bass lines like early on in the album.
This new release by Wormhole demonstrates a ton of slammingly, 'jolly good' fun parts of slam that really helped me reminisce about all the aspects of brutal death metal that I thoroughly enjoy. At times it's destructively technical and swift in the instrumental pace, even giving off subtle hints of melodics as far as the bass goes, and at other intervals the album just goes all out in order to give its listeners (most of whom I assume are slam lovers and death enthusiasts in their own right) a great experience and one to bang their heads to in a genuinely enjoyable, if perhaps slightly painful to an extent, manner. In my opinion, there's a ton of stuff in here to be found that could be great fun for those looking for slam with more of a mixed bag and for those who don't mind abrasive toilet vocals mixed into instrumental finesse. I'd have to say that they really hit all the good marks in my book with this one.
Fave Tracks: 'D-S3', 'Quad MB'
For Fans Of: Abominable Putridity, Beyond Creation, Wormed
**This release is available now on multiple formats here!**
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-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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