Wormitorium - Inherited Decay EP

Decay, putrefaction, and other words synonymous with rot.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on March 15th 2022)

There are many ways for one to find new artists, but few have been as unfortunate as Wormitorium. For anyone that hasn’t been living under a rock for the past few weeks, there’s a war going on in Ukraine, the band’s home country. Many musicians who hail from there have been trying to raise awareness, both for the situation itself and other artists who live there. I caught wind of the band thanks to Sedimentum giving them a shoutout, and decided to give their Inherited Decay EP a listen.
Unlike most bands that come out of Ukraine, Wormitorium is a death metal band, which came as a surprise when considering how active the black metal scene is there. What’s even more impressive is how good the songs themselves are. Barring their rather unimaginative names (“[adjective] Rot”, really creative), they’re well-crafted, replete with crushing riffs and guttural vocals. For how brief this EP is, it has more than a handful of memorable moments. There’s the crushing opening of “Primordial Rot”, a very groovy and doomy track, which brings to mind the title track off Asphyx’s Last One On Earth, contrasted by the more frantic pace and leadwork on “Noble Rot”. The band managed to make both pieces on such a short release feel fresh and distinct from one another, all while maintaining their stylistic core.
The production is also quite good, perfectly suiting these crushing pieces. It’s focused on providing a dense low-end, but avoids turning into mush, with the slightly muddy guitars retaining their definition, supported by the bass’ distorted rumbling. As for the drums, I think they’re quite a case in and of themselves. The snare and the bass drum actually hang a bit in the back of the mix and don’t really stick out that much, serving as a more subtle percussive presence, a stark contrast to the cymbals. They’re much more prevalent, highlighting I’s performance, whose fills and transitions keep things fresh throughout.

For as good as this EP is, I can’t say it didn’t live quite a bit to be desired. First and foremost we have its length. It’s exceptionally short even for the format’s standards, clocking in at slightly over 7 minutes, and I’d have loved to see a track or two added to this. It’s an all too brief experience that leaves me wanting more, and I can’t help but ask for it. There’s also the fact that while the band does present a rather interesting mix of influences, with the music bringing to mind Asphyx and Incantation, there isn’t something that one will find particularly exciting about it. It’s definitely a bit novel, sure, but there’s definitely room for improvement, which I hope the band will be able to realise in the future.
My epilogues tend to be focused on recapping my thoughts on the music, but I cannot help but bring up what I mentioned in the prologue. The situation in Ukraine is terrible, and like any other conflict, it affects the people living there greatly. While I as an individual have very little say on the matter, I can at the very least express my support by bringing more attention to a group of musicians hailing from the region. For all the war and death mentioned in metal music, I want nothing more than peace in the world, and to see people and bands like Wormitorium flourish. Music unites people, and it’s in times like these where that becomes most apparent.
Highlight: Noble Rot

Rating: 81% 


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