Worm’s transformation over the past decade has been fascinating to follow, as the band’s sound has shifted with each album. Early on there was more of an emphasis on black metal and death/doom, but by 2021’s Foreverglade things had moved towards more of a death/doom and funeral doom forward sound with some black metal elements present in the background. Founder Phantom Slaughter has made it clear he’s not interested in simply repeating styles from one release to the next, as 2022’s Bluenothing EP had death/doom on its first half and then pivoted to symphonic black metal on its second half. The 2023 split with Dream Unending expanded more on this new direction, and that’s now been taken to its next logical place on Necropalace. Spread across an hour’s worth of material, Necropalace captures 90s symphonic black metal in all its glory while continuing to showcase Worm’s ability to bring in other sounds from across metal.
Following the moodier intro, the title track showcases how far Worm has pivoted into symphonic black metal while also making it clear they haven’t fully left behind their past styles either. Initially the track has that mid-pace progression and huge symphonic sound that is reminiscent of Dimmu Borgir as well as the more vampiric oriented black metal bands from years past, but you do get some slower passages that feel like a callback to some of the death/doom aspects from the past two albums. In terms of the creepier atmosphere and haunting keyboard lines that defined this type of black metal back in the 90s, Worm has absolutely nailed it, but as you make your way through the remainder of the album you’ll discover there’s more going on beneath the surface. Sometimes the instrumentals lean fully into the black metal aggressive and grandiose nature of the melodies, but some of the solos and leads give me more of a heavy metal/neoclassical vibe at certain points too. “The Night Has Fangs” leans towards this more, and the closing track “Witchmoon- The Infernal Masquerade” has Phil Tougas dueling with Marty Friedman for some of the highest flying and shred worthy guitar I’ve heard in this variant of black metal. It’s evident that Worm wanted to capture a specific atmosphere and mood, but the songwriting has a lot more depth than your average artist attempting to channel Dimmu Borgir or Emperor. A few moments do overstay their welcome slightly (“Dragon Dreams” in particular is longer than it needs to be), but the bulk of the material is captivating from beginning to end.
Phantom Slaughter previously utilized a combination of raspy screams and lower growls on the death/doom oriented material, and while there’s still a similar range on Necropalace there has been a noticeable pivot towards the higher end of the spectrum. The title track has some great back and forth between the screams and growls that really up the intensity of the material, but then on “Halls of Weeping” things switch over to some chants and slightly cleaner pitches that change the atmosphere considerably. Sometimes Phantom Slaughter channels a bit of Emperor era Ihsahn in his screaming, but the chants and a few of the other details also gave off hints of earlier gothic sounding black metal. With the emphasis on flashier leads and solos the verses are also well spaced out, giving each one the opportunity to hit the listener equally as hard.
Necropalace fully realizes the combination of sounds that Worm had begun to explore on Bluenothing and the split with Dream Unending. The keyboards nail that cold and spooky atmosphere while also giving a grandiose feel to the material, while the leads incorporate a bit more neoclassical and traditional heavy metal for some epic results. It’s clear that a lot of thought has been put into how each song twists and turns, as they flow in ways that keep you intrigued the whole way through. Some may be just a tad bit long, but as a whole this is a triumph for this group and a showcase that they can continue to evolve and cross genre lines with each effort. Necropalace is available from Century Media Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg