Wormrot

Dirge

Written by: PP on 12/08/2011 06:43:42

Although grindcore albums tend to sound very much like one another, that was not the case with "Abuse", the previous album by Singapore-based grinders Wormrot. It was an album that dared to push the boundaries of what is possible in grindcore other than unforgiving speed and skull-hammering onslaught of instrumental devastation, an album that, gasp, had catchy parts to it. Relatively speaking, of course. In any case, "Abuse" ranks as one of the best grindcore albums in recent years according to this scribe, so Wormrot had a lot to live up for on their new album "Dirge".

The first difference you'll notice between the two records is the production quality. Whereas "Abuse" was crisp and clear, even modern-sounding in places, "Dirge" regresses straight back to shoebox-style recording, which admittedly gives the album a raw and unadulterated vibe, but at the cost of precious detail. And nowhere else is this more clear than in the vocal department. The band still sports a dual-vocal assault, one screamer and one deeper growler, but the difference between the two is more subtle this time around: they both sound fucking brutal, where in the past the polished screams were a nice contrast to the deep/hollow growling. That, however, is just a minor detail, as the two still position themselves in the upper echelon of grindcore vocalists with ease.

As for the instrumentals, well, they're still grindcore to the bone, extreme and chaotic all-around, but yet one feels less of a purpose, less of a momentum that stops the listener into a grinding halt on his tracks. The ability to create such a devastating and morbid soundscape was Wormrot's key strength on "Abuse", whereas on "Dirge" the temptation to dive into pure chaos with little, if any, structure has been too big.

All of this is only minor complaints justified only when directly comparing the two efforts. When set to race against the rest of the genre, Wormrot still have a head start on most bands, delivering an intense motherfucking piece of grind that falls exactly along the genre ideals: it both sounds and feels like a cheese grater on your face.

7

Download: Erased Existence, Manipulation
For the fans of: Brutal Truth, Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Kill The Client
Listen: Myspace

Release date 05.05.2011
Earache

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