Coming back from a two-year hiatus and with a new line up, Worm Shepherd bring a supergroup ethos approach in delivering 5 tracks that will either excite or discourage depending on what kind of extreme metal floats your boat. Their description accompanying this release notes that it is a masterclass in blackened brutality from the newly returned deathcore band.
The version we reviewed did not include the instrumental versions of the same songs, which given my distaste for instrumentals that are included for the sake of it is a bonus. Getting into the guts of it, they start with The Omen and from the off you can hear that they are attacking the material with all the energy they can.
The version we reviewed did not include the instrumental versions of the same songs, which given my distaste for instrumentals that are included for the sake of it is a bonus. Getting into the guts of it, they start with The Omen and from the off you can hear that they are attacking the material with all the energy they can.
What it also does is spell out that it has an incredibly familiar sound and build, one that you will have heard elsewhere. I’m getting this out in front before we go to far. It has all the core ingredients – drums that are off the charts in terms of speed and dexterity, guitar sounds that flatten all in front of it and a vocal performance that is lower than low.
As an opening song, its trying to break you in two and leave a mark so that they become your new favourite band. For me it hits like a band that is trying to move beyond one label and just make a lethal listening experience for you.
Soulless Lament, well this is a burner of a track. Again, it takes the traditional approaches and then puts them through a grinder in order to align with where they see this music going. If you look at this from the following standpoints: Is it heavy? Yes. Does it do melody? Yes. Do I like this in music? Yes, then you have two songs that will kick you up hill and down dale. You just have to give them the chance to do it.
Feast repeats the trick, this time using a restrained edge to proceedings. The way that the song (and others) have been put together is focused on satisfying their own need to make art the way they want to do it. There are other bands that would have taken the starting point of Feast and then thrown out a slow start into frenzied end type song. Not here, they just unfold it at the same measure, using air to give it room to breathe. It takes a lot for a band to this and shows that they are truly comfortable in their talent. Sanctified Rot is probably the most normal/traditional track here.
Soulless Lament, well this is a burner of a track. Again, it takes the traditional approaches and then puts them through a grinder in order to align with where they see this music going. If you look at this from the following standpoints: Is it heavy? Yes. Does it do melody? Yes. Do I like this in music? Yes, then you have two songs that will kick you up hill and down dale. You just have to give them the chance to do it.
Feast repeats the trick, this time using a restrained edge to proceedings. The way that the song (and others) have been put together is focused on satisfying their own need to make art the way they want to do it. There are other bands that would have taken the starting point of Feast and then thrown out a slow start into frenzied end type song. Not here, they just unfold it at the same measure, using air to give it room to breathe. It takes a lot for a band to this and shows that they are truly comfortable in their talent. Sanctified Rot is probably the most normal/traditional track here.
In saying that, it shares a common approach with the others on here, but its execution sounds like could hear it elsewhere. It doesn’t have the same kick to it as the preceding tracks whilst Whispers Of A Buried Land with its 7-minute runtime closes out what is a very good collection of heavy metal. Its 5 songs that show that there isn’t any hangovers following their break. Going back to their notes online, the content actually backs up their statements of this being a masterclass. It is, genuinely is the sound of a band pushing themselves to make the best music they can.
On reflection, I’m probably being a little hard on Sanctified Rot. 8/10
Uncultivates – This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution (Horsebox Records) [Spike]
If there is one thing the city of Cork excels at, it’s a specific brand of perverse, high-intellect stubbornness. It is a place that refuses to be categorized, and Uncultivates have taken that local trait and turned it into a "Math Post Metal" manifesto. Their third release, This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution, is a glorious, disorienting collision of sounds that shouldn't be in the same room together, let alone on the same record.
The experience starts with a bit of a curveball. The Intro leans into a distinct bluegrass vibe, almost a western saloon feel, a bit of acoustic twang that suggests a shift toward the pastoral before the floor drops out. The transition into I Am Your God, Your Father And Your Boss is a physical jolt, trading the acoustic for a post-metal crunch that feels like a low-hanging cloud over the Lee. It establishes the record’s central dynamic: a constant, jarring tension between the rustic and the industrial.
What really sets this record apart, however, is the wordplay. There is a sharp, caustic wit here that feels like a direct descendant of the Mclusky school of lyrical combat. Titles like Great Minds Think Of Mike and the spectacularly descriptive Every Day I Wake Up On The Bonnet Of A Different Car aren't just jokes; they are the framework for a sound that is as clever as it is loud. The lyrics are delivered with a dry, knowing smirk, cutting through the dense math-rock structures with a surgical precision.
Tracks like Oliver and Flatley (a title that suggests a very different kind of Irish footwork) showcase the band’s technical dexterity. The rhythms are knotty and unpredictable, shifting under your feet just as you think you’ve found the groove. It’s a sophisticated bit of "math" that never loses the "post-metal" heart, a credit to the way they’ve managed to balance technical complexity with raw, unvarnished force.
The momentum takes a breath with Rory's Interlude before descending into the final act. Dread First and Rental Snake are short, sharp shocks of noise-rock instability, leading into the record's massive conclusion. The Ice Bed World Tour Of North America is the standout here, a four-minute-plus sprawl that manages to synthesize the record into one cohesive, feedback-saturated exit. It’s a chaotic, brilliant mess that refuses to resolve into anything comfortable, leaving you exactly where the title promised: waiting for the clarity to arrive.
Uncultivates haven't just made a "heavy" record; they’ve made a literate one. They’ve proven that you can be math-nerds and sludge-fiends at the same time, all while maintaining a healthy sense of the absurd. It’s honest, it’s noisy but don't expect it to explain itself on the first listen. 9/10
Greyhawk - Warriors Of Greyhawk (Cruz Del Sur Music) [Simon Black]
I’m normally a bit wary when another example of cheesy Power Metal lands on the platter, because let’s face it, there’s an awful lot of it out there, and the vast bulk of content rarely lifts its head above the bar of notable delivery because despite being of perfectly serviceable quality there’s nothing to differentiate it from the thousands of other acts treading the same territory.
On reflection, I’m probably being a little hard on Sanctified Rot. 8/10
Uncultivates – This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution (Horsebox Records) [Spike]
If there is one thing the city of Cork excels at, it’s a specific brand of perverse, high-intellect stubbornness. It is a place that refuses to be categorized, and Uncultivates have taken that local trait and turned it into a "Math Post Metal" manifesto. Their third release, This Will Become Clear Later, Like The French Revolution, is a glorious, disorienting collision of sounds that shouldn't be in the same room together, let alone on the same record.
The experience starts with a bit of a curveball. The Intro leans into a distinct bluegrass vibe, almost a western saloon feel, a bit of acoustic twang that suggests a shift toward the pastoral before the floor drops out. The transition into I Am Your God, Your Father And Your Boss is a physical jolt, trading the acoustic for a post-metal crunch that feels like a low-hanging cloud over the Lee. It establishes the record’s central dynamic: a constant, jarring tension between the rustic and the industrial.
What really sets this record apart, however, is the wordplay. There is a sharp, caustic wit here that feels like a direct descendant of the Mclusky school of lyrical combat. Titles like Great Minds Think Of Mike and the spectacularly descriptive Every Day I Wake Up On The Bonnet Of A Different Car aren't just jokes; they are the framework for a sound that is as clever as it is loud. The lyrics are delivered with a dry, knowing smirk, cutting through the dense math-rock structures with a surgical precision.
Tracks like Oliver and Flatley (a title that suggests a very different kind of Irish footwork) showcase the band’s technical dexterity. The rhythms are knotty and unpredictable, shifting under your feet just as you think you’ve found the groove. It’s a sophisticated bit of "math" that never loses the "post-metal" heart, a credit to the way they’ve managed to balance technical complexity with raw, unvarnished force.
The momentum takes a breath with Rory's Interlude before descending into the final act. Dread First and Rental Snake are short, sharp shocks of noise-rock instability, leading into the record's massive conclusion. The Ice Bed World Tour Of North America is the standout here, a four-minute-plus sprawl that manages to synthesize the record into one cohesive, feedback-saturated exit. It’s a chaotic, brilliant mess that refuses to resolve into anything comfortable, leaving you exactly where the title promised: waiting for the clarity to arrive.
Uncultivates haven't just made a "heavy" record; they’ve made a literate one. They’ve proven that you can be math-nerds and sludge-fiends at the same time, all while maintaining a healthy sense of the absurd. It’s honest, it’s noisy but don't expect it to explain itself on the first listen. 9/10
Greyhawk - Warriors Of Greyhawk (Cruz Del Sur Music) [Simon Black]
I’m normally a bit wary when another example of cheesy Power Metal lands on the platter, because let’s face it, there’s an awful lot of it out there, and the vast bulk of content rarely lifts its head above the bar of notable delivery because despite being of perfectly serviceable quality there’s nothing to differentiate it from the thousands of other acts treading the same territory.
However, I’ve not been very active when it comes to reviewing in recent months for reasons that I won’t bore you with, so I find myself quite surprised at Greyhawk’s delivery landing rather well here.
It’s very much Power Metal of the well-trodden European template – fast paced Speed Metal pace, up-tempo major chords, musical roots that clearly balance NWOBHM (particularly Judas Priest) and big four Euro Power (Helloween et al) tropes, a sword and sorcery theme and the first contender for this year’s cheesy album cover awards (because nothing says “cheese” more than a painting of the lads in armour, swords aloft … with aviator shades).
It’s very much Power Metal of the well-trodden European template – fast paced Speed Metal pace, up-tempo major chords, musical roots that clearly balance NWOBHM (particularly Judas Priest) and big four Euro Power (Helloween et al) tropes, a sword and sorcery theme and the first contender for this year’s cheesy album cover awards (because nothing says “cheese” more than a painting of the lads in armour, swords aloft … with aviator shades).
Two things surprise me however, despite everything else that’s got the cliché alarm ringing up to eleven. Firstly, these guys hail from Seattle in the USA, not Europe; secondly, and more importantly it’s rather good, and very fresh sounding to boot.
The band have been going since 2018, with a couple of EP’s and two full length albums under their wing already, so we are at that dangerous stage so many bands hit when album number three and their tenth anniversary looms of running out of road, with all the material they had hanging around and finely honed over time running dry and having to sit down afresh with a full album to deliver in short order. There’s no need to worry on that front, however.
There’s clearly been a fair amount of churn in the line up over the years but changing vocalists at this stage in your career is a dangerous moment for many acts, given how intrinsic to their sound the frontman frequently is. The departing Rev Taylor was apparently quite distinctively operatic in his style, but not having heard his predecessor, I can’t really compare them.
The band have been going since 2018, with a couple of EP’s and two full length albums under their wing already, so we are at that dangerous stage so many bands hit when album number three and their tenth anniversary looms of running out of road, with all the material they had hanging around and finely honed over time running dry and having to sit down afresh with a full album to deliver in short order. There’s no need to worry on that front, however.
There’s clearly been a fair amount of churn in the line up over the years but changing vocalists at this stage in your career is a dangerous moment for many acts, given how intrinsic to their sound the frontman frequently is. The departing Rev Taylor was apparently quite distinctively operatic in his style, but not having heard his predecessor, I can’t really compare them.
However, new lungsman Anthony Corso is a formidable addition to the line-up. He’s very much the traditional Heavy / Power Metal singer – with a broad octaval range, a huge amount of power and his energy, talent and charisma ripple throughout the piece, to the point where it sounds like he’s been a part of the furniture for some considerable time.
Musically, the balance between trad and power metal works well, and we’ve also got some very crisp and well arranged songwriting going on here. All the numbers have a strong sense of melody and structure, and that crucial anthemic catchiness that is needed for an unknown act to get a festival full of newbies chanting along like they had been following them for years, which is again surprisingly European in style.
Musically, the balance between trad and power metal works well, and we’ve also got some very crisp and well arranged songwriting going on here. All the numbers have a strong sense of melody and structure, and that crucial anthemic catchiness that is needed for an unknown act to get a festival full of newbies chanting along like they had been following them for years, which is again surprisingly European in style.
Clearly this young act have got the essence of this rather better than many of the cookie-cutter acts cluttering up the European scene, because this is an enjoyable, well-crafted and perfectly delivered romp that made me want more. Well, not of the cover, that you can keep boys… 9/10
Belonging / Inny - The Dog (Dipterid Records) [Rich Piva]
Portland, Oregon is a hotbed of awesome heavy music. It feels like every other band I interview for my Show (The Rich & Turbo Heavy Half Hour) has a band from that part of the Pacific Northwest bringing some more amazing form of the stoner/doom/metal/whatever you want to call it, and it is all some level of great. Continuing on that, we have a split from two Portland bands that are new to me: Inny and Belonging, who bring to us a split EP of three songs each, titled The Dog. You didn’t think, based on my opening, I was going to tell you anything else except that this EP rules, right?
Well that is exactly what I am telling you. Let’s start with Inny. Their contribution starts with their version of the title track. Inny is more 90s Post Hardcore than anything else, in the best possible way. Think bands like Fugazi, Jawbox, Steel Pole Bathtub, early Girls Against Boys, and that will give you an idea. Melodic, lo-fi, indie post hardcore is the best I can do here, and yeah, it’s great.
Portland, Oregon is a hotbed of awesome heavy music. It feels like every other band I interview for my Show (The Rich & Turbo Heavy Half Hour) has a band from that part of the Pacific Northwest bringing some more amazing form of the stoner/doom/metal/whatever you want to call it, and it is all some level of great. Continuing on that, we have a split from two Portland bands that are new to me: Inny and Belonging, who bring to us a split EP of three songs each, titled The Dog. You didn’t think, based on my opening, I was going to tell you anything else except that this EP rules, right?
Well that is exactly what I am telling you. Let’s start with Inny. Their contribution starts with their version of the title track. Inny is more 90s Post Hardcore than anything else, in the best possible way. Think bands like Fugazi, Jawbox, Steel Pole Bathtub, early Girls Against Boys, and that will give you an idea. Melodic, lo-fi, indie post hardcore is the best I can do here, and yeah, it’s great.
Vessel slows it down but keeps the same vibe while also reminding me of some of the very early At The Drive In stuff. I love when it all kicks in about half way through. Their third track, Morsel, rips it up, doubling down on that Fugazi thing (total DC vibes) but I also hear an old band from up their way, Seaweed, making their way into the picture. A great set of three songs that will leave you wanting a lot more from Inny.
The three songs from our second band, Belonging, are also on the post hardcore side, with Quicksand being a good reference point for their first track, Hellkite. There is something delightfully lo-fi indie rock going on here too and boy does that make this guy happy. Their track titled The Dog screams post hardcore, maybe even emo, but the good stuff like Thursday, let’s not get crazy here. Dead Reckoning closes out the Belonging side, reminding me of all the great 90s noise rock bands who were signed to one of the bigger indie labels in the 90s, which could not be a higher compliment coming from me.
What a fun little split EP that gives me two more killer bands from Portland to scream about. I am sure there will be more to hear from Inny and Belonging, but this EP is not a band place to start. 8/10
The three songs from our second band, Belonging, are also on the post hardcore side, with Quicksand being a good reference point for their first track, Hellkite. There is something delightfully lo-fi indie rock going on here too and boy does that make this guy happy. Their track titled The Dog screams post hardcore, maybe even emo, but the good stuff like Thursday, let’s not get crazy here. Dead Reckoning closes out the Belonging side, reminding me of all the great 90s noise rock bands who were signed to one of the bigger indie labels in the 90s, which could not be a higher compliment coming from me.
What a fun little split EP that gives me two more killer bands from Portland to scream about. I am sure there will be more to hear from Inny and Belonging, but this EP is not a band place to start. 8/10
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