Review Summary: …Infested with Vermin and Violated by Executioners
Shriek in agony as you’re burned, boiled, penetrated, vomited on. You’ve been sentenced to this dismal realm and shall endure torture fit for your beliefs. Two decades have passed since a 32 minute funeral doom demo,
In an Excruciating Way, was birthed by Finnish two-piece Wormphlegm. A brooding, morbid recording that eschews the common depiction of hell as brimstone and fire in favor of streams of blood, excrement, and tortured screams piercing through stagnant air. Since its release, few albums have come close to recreating its aura of despair and torment.
The most striking and memorable feature on
In an Excruciating Way are the vocals. Following an alternating pattern of vocals, there is a master/minion relationship for the demo. The Master growls his orders: the torture to be inflicted upon those in his presence. His minions repeat their instructions in howls. It would be difficult to overstate the intensity and desperation of the minions’ howls. As a devout fan of extreme metal, I can say with little doubt in my mind that the screeches that start the album are among the most unique and unnerving vocals I’ve heard. They continue on for the entirety of the album, in concert with The Master’s growls. However, neither the growls or howls remain unchanging, as both offer extensive variation throughout the thirty minute demo length. These vocals are exceptional enough as to create the rumor that the members tortured themselves during recording to achieve them. It could be argued that no higher praise can be given than for a rumor such as that to form.
For many albums, the vocals present would be a selling point on their own, but
In An Excruciating Way doesn’t end with The Master and his minions. As critical to the theme as the vocals, the guitars and bass decide the emotions, with the drums finalizing them. A sense of nihilistic dread dominates the track. Discordant guitars reverberate and linger, with forceful and calculated drumming backing it. However, shortly after the halfway point of the demo, the emotion is altered for several minutes. This section gives us a more mournful, depressed outlook than the rest of the album. The guitar tone is cleaner, the vocals are scarcer, and the often discordant tones are noticeably less frequent. Although the section adds variety, I would still consider it the weakest point in the demo. It is mournful and depressive, just as many albums in the funeral doom genre, but it feels awkward when placed in the middle of a tortured hellscape. To add variety,
In An Excruciating Way would have been served better by a section closer resembling the brief shift in style found at the 11:00 minute mark. Rather than becoming depressive, this section magnifies the unease felt during the track's duration. Regardless of what would have done better in place of the section, it can always be skipped as if it were a song you weren’t interested in hearing.
That brings the most concerning aspect of the demo for many prospective listeners: the length. Any single track close to 10 minutes in length is daunting, but 30 minutes automatically alienates a great deal of listeners, and there is some validity to their worries.
In An Excruciating Way feels overly long, even if it is excellent at its core. On the other hand, the unique vocals more than make up for any reason to not attempt a listen. This demo carves a unique niche for itself and does very well in it. I will admit that I am not particularly knowledgeable regarding funeral doom, but this demo has repeatedly captured my interest like no other release in the genre has.
