ALBUM REVIEW: Wormwood - "Mooncurse"

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full length
Date Released:20/10/2017

Label: Translation Loss Records

Wormwood's performance on "Mooncurse" is doom in the purest sense. Purposeful pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty.  As you make your way to "Passage of Fire," Wormwood's greatest traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical sequences and undefeatable heaviness

 

"Mooncurse" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Infinite Darkness

2. The Undesirables

3. Forlorn

4. Mooncurse

5. Parasitic Twin

6. Burn the Psychic Vision

7. Passage of Fire

The Review:

Terms like 'supergroup' are so overused that it is near impossible to truly quantify it with anything real. Shouldn't bands from which players come from reach a particular echelon, sales threshold or, well, something? So when a fantastic band like Boston's Wormwoodgets the term hung on it, one has to resist the meaninglessness of the phrase, and instead focus on its gifts.

In the case of Wormwood, those gifts come from both intense chemistry and superlative musicianship. Drummer Chris Bevilacqua and guitarist Chris Pupecki, previously known from local act Doomriders, offered up Wormwood's self-titled debut EP in 2014. The heaviness of that premiere was so warmly received that hopes rose for Wormwood'sreturn. Three years and two new members – Mike Gowell, previously of Phantom Glue, on guitar and Greg Weeks, previously of Red Chord, on bass – later, and Wormwoodstrikes back, with the 's' word bandied about, and an impressive new album, "Mooncurse," to show for it.

When it was a duo, the band was particularly effective at setting a claustrophobic mood through distortion, rhythm and harrowing effects. Now as a quartet, Wormwoodredoubles this commitment by making even richer sounds in this regard. Wormwoodtouches down with "Infinite Darkness," whose haunting strings set up what becomes quickly a throttling opening cut. Into "The Undesirables," previewed for this album, you hear a prime example of how much larger Wormwoodsound with its extra hands and more much more penetrating approach. The pacing of this song and lyrics make it a standout. Meanwhile, "Forlorn," which follows it, a striking instance of a change up that does not sound out of place or confusing; cresting slowly, the song's guitar assault comes in fits and starts, at first with an almost folk-style chord progression into a much more rapacious attack.

Wormwood's performance on "Mooncurse" is doom in the purest sense. Even its fastest playing is in the spirit of some of the best offerings this year. Purposeful pacing and incredibly weighty riffs aplenty. A song like "Burn the Psychic Vision" is such a great listen because it is well arranged, with drums and bass that luxuriously creep through your mind's eye. The new double guitar lineup adds depth to this cut, as well as to entries such as "Parasitic Twin" and the title track. As you make your way to "Passage of Fire," Wormwood's greatest traits are on full display: an impeccable grasp of timing, dark musical sequences and undefeatable heaviness. Whether you subscribe to the supergroup tag or not, Wormwoodlives up to the road it cut in its debut, and then some, with a full-length to be appreciated.

"Mooncurse" is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

TRACK PREMIERE: Forfeit life to Wormwood and yield to their bludgeoning new track "The Undesirables"

Rewind almost 3 years and a couple of old friends got together to make a heavy depressing/empowering racket. Formed by Chris Pupecki perhaps better known as guitarist in Doomridersand their original drummer Chris Bevilacqua, these Boston natives debuted their self titled EP, via PATAC Records/ Magic Bullet Records, 5 tracks that were driven by a bestial, hard-hitting mid-tempo grind and a distinctly unpolished, ugly, and bottomless bass rumble, the discordant ooze of guitars with effect-laden sludge atmospherics that consistently unsettled you with brutally effective tritonal dissonance before spacing you out with smooth doomed slow jam riffs.  

WORMWOOD's debut was a  sonic nightmare from, a dark, psychedelic journey of fuzzed out doom metal and stoner-dirge riffs that shattered all pre-conceptions… WORMWOODpours out of your stereo like a plague of carrion insects and  make no mistake the pedigree of this band is mouth watering, with members of Phantom Glue and The Red Chord rounding off this quartet.  Now following 3 years in the wilderness,  on October 20^th 2017, WORMWOOD will issue their debut full length “Mooncurse” on Translation Loss Records, arguably the best underground label on the scene today and we recently caught up with the band to get the low down on new record. 

"It's less standard "doom" this time around and now has elements of sludge, some psychedelic moments, guitar harmonies, quieter pretty parts and even a couple noise rock moments. All in all though I feel it blends together nicely without sounding like a patchwork of genres and it still retains the darkness, anger and bite of our original release, just maybe more interesting ear candy happening now."

"It does have an apocalyptic feel or a feel of isolation/rejection/depression that tends to come up lyrically as well as sonically. I truly believe playing heavy music is the greatest therapy in the world, and so for me, all the darkest stuff in the recesses of my mind seems to come up and kind of release while I play and I always feel better afterwards...for a little while at least."

With a release date set for 20/10/2017, a new label and preorders for the record already open (here), you can get your first taste of the new record with an exclusive stream of the track “The Undesirables” below, which is unapologetically crushing. We hope you dig it. Forfeit life to WORMWOOD

Live Rituals

Direct support for ALL PIGS MUST DIE
10/19 - Saint Vitus, NY
10/20 - Great Scott, Allston, MA

Band info: facebook