Wormrot

Abuse

Written by: PP on 15/04/2010 00:44:41

Lets be honest here. Most grindcore is monotonous garbage where the goal is to play as fast as possible for 10 seconds, growl something indecipherable into the mic about socio-political issues, all the while playing in unexplainable time signatures that neither make any sense nor sound good. Not so with Singapore-based Wormrot and their new album "Abuse". To someone who has had to sit through most grindcore releases for the past five or six years or so, "Abuse" is a breath of fresh air, a signpost of originality, and most importantly, a record that DARES to push the envelope outside the tightly defined borders of the genre. My friends, welcome to the best grindcore album I've heard since Brutal Truth unleashed their masterpiece "Evolution Through Revolution" upon us.

At first, it will seem like Wormrot check every box when it comes to generic grindcore. Socio political lyrics? The album opens with a patriot act reference, for fucks sake. Short songs? A whole 23 of them fit within the 22 minute length of the record. Indecipherable vocals? Check. But it only takes a quarter of an album (which is five minutes at Wormrot's speed) to discover the obvious Brutal Truth, Kill The Client, Pig Destroyer and Napalm Death influences in the band's music, and after that it's time for some serious appreciation at how rich and detailed the band's expression is despite the traditional chaos and nonsense associated with the genre's soundscapes. Lets start with the band's insane drummer, for instance, whose dual blast beats not only dominate the soundscape and make sure your ear drums are left wishing for better days after the album, but he throws in some crazy polyrhythms and oddly timed frills that give Wormrot's sound its intricacy.

Or what about the brilliant usage of two very different vocalists, one of them a screamer who wouldn't feel out of place on a maniacally paced skramz (original screamo) album, the other one a deep death metal type growler, who are constantly layered on top of each other, either providing direct contrast through simultaneous vocals, or alternating lines as to provide a great deal of variety to the mix. The axeman deserves a positive mention here too for his ability to inject a great deal of groove into the blasting grindcore assault all by himself (no bassist here as far as I can tell). Have I mentioned yet how insanely fast Wormrot are as a unit whilst beholding an admirable level of tightness? One only needs to look at the band's cover of "Rich" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The original song length? 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Wormrot's interpretation? 45 seconds....now that's what I call compression.

At 22 minutes, "Abuse" is just the right length so it doesn't overstay it's welcome, but it's not too short either. It's a perfect injection of grindcore chaos into your routine-obsessed day, so if words like freight train-like, wrecking, blasting, machine-gun speed, brutal, or extreme suit your musical tastes, be sure to check out "Abuse", an album that will restore your faith in grindcore.

8

Download: Scum Infestation And Last Song, Indonesia, Lost Swines
For the fans of: Brutal Truth, Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Kill The Client
Listen: Myspace

Release date 06.04.2010
Earache

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