Underling was formed in Northern California in 2012 by Robert Morey of Fallujah and Antonio Palermo. The band features musicians from other Metal Trenches favorites and veteran groups like Fallujah, Arkaik, Battlecross, WRVTH and Sidian. And unlike most of these other projects, Underling is an outlet for expression in the form of atmospheric and post-black leanings. I was immediately intrigued upon seeing the line-up, but I certainly stuck around for the music.
The group actually has two releases: an EP titled Breathe Deeply and the focus of this review, their debut LP, Bloodworship. I chose to focus on the latter as I find this album to be a step towards slightly more aggressive territory than the more atmospheric vibes of the former. Even so, the drifty post metal of the member's other projects, especially Fallujah and WRVTH comes through firmly. This is certainly not a standard black metal project. Expect plenty of soaring melodies and varied arrangements more akind to Vattnet Viskar.
Also similar to these other post-black groups, the harshness comes through not from the guitars, but largely via the vocals and drumming. The vox come primarily in the form of particularly grim post-hardcore shouting, but delve at times into a death metal growl as with one of my favorite tracks on the album, "Servant of Filth." In addition, this track highlights the impressive work on the kit in the form of kinetic blastbeats and pounding double bass to offset the reverb-laden, shimmering guitar riffs. Seriously, if you could see these hooks, they would sparkle. The balancing of light and shadow is excellent.
I may be biased as a bit of a WRVTH fanboy, but how often do I get to gush about basswork? Taylor is a huge talent, and his grumbly low end additions to this album are fantastic. The tone and choices in direction of melody add a lot to the mood and weight of the album, and you can actually hear him as a driving force throughout with "Downpour" and the energizing interlude on the track above as great examples. Remove the rumble of these bass runs from this song and the end result wouldn't have half of the impact.
Each of these songs has its own presence and personality. Personally, I am a big fan of "Clawing at the Rot" and "Stay." Both of these have a unique melding of bright, melodic elements with some truly heavy ones. Crushing even. But there's also worth mentioning Underling's softer side, "The Seventh Well" channeling the chiller moments of Fallujah's latest album with melancholic guitars and soothing, gorgeous female vocals once again by Byanca Munoz (Ex-Whirr).
In sum, Bloodworship is an excellent album that I enjoyed immensely, and one that even surprised me a bit. This is a very interesting conglomerate of musicians, and to have them all come together to create something that is markedly different from the sum of its parts makes it a truly worthwhile project. While I would be exagerating if I said the music was earth shattering or ground-breaking, it certainly does an excellent job of furthering the genre and honing in on all of the elements that make it work best. Here's to future releases from the group.