This is a phenomenal debut album from Swedish melodic black metal band that could be compared to last years Seraphical Euphony by Hyperion because it revives the atmosphere you would expect from the early 2000s.
Catchy, memorable, sing-a-long melodies and an overall sense of awe are the centerpieces of this masterpiece. Flow is incredible, exciting and excelling in diversity that encompass female and male clean singing that add to folk influence. It’s more of a spice than prevailing undertone that illustrates how much different styles can be incorporated without sounding forced. Male growls and screams are very traditional and well done because the lyrics are mostly understandable but sound still quite harsh. Drumming is absolutely top-notch and the dynamics of tempo changes are outstanding. I would even go so far to say it’s one of the best drumming in the genre since you get effortless transitions from mid paced rhythms that have some of r’n’roll flare to them to uncompromising blast beats that remind of ultra-high speed d-beat - just as it was with early BM. All this is carried by riffs and melodies that would sound superb were they played on an acoustic guitar or in a distorted tremolo frenzy. Nostalgic, proud and mythical in the same time. It’s so finely crafted without anything out of place from the production standpoint since they sound majestic, tight and hard hitting without being cumbersome. Every piece of music worth a damn should be something you can whistle or sing along too, that should have memorable hooks you look forward to. I’m talking everything, from deprived bestial death metal, blackened noise, funeral doom, top 40s pop or rap etc. It does not need to carry a sweet tune and make you tap, but more often than not, various projects and bands nowadays play something for the sake of belonging to some niche, yet without any emotional impact or even signature of their own. That impact and signature is earth-shattering in Wormwood because them doodes showed they are masters of their craft on their freaking first album. Think of Windir, Panopticon, Cryptic Wintermoon, Graveworm and mash it up in the best way possible, and this is a little bit better.
If anybody knows any meloblack in last years other than Hyperion that compare, do comment up since this is album of the year in this department.
https://wormwood-official.bandcamp.com/
