Review Summary: Totally abuse!
People who come from a background outside grindcore usually complain about short duration and how difficult to differentiate and memorize each song of an album. This such complaint is understandable and forgivable, because it's indeed like that! Thus, everybody will also face such a hard situation when they give Wormrot's
Abuse a listen. Contains 23 super dynamic tracks with only 22 minutes of music, the listeners surely need a little more time to dig - two or three spins is fairly enough to decide whether the album is good or bad. However, any fan of this genre whose strong passion with a well done stuff, probably will never want left behind to check out this crazy abusive release. This Wormwot's debut, arguably is the most dangerous grind stuff that people can get from country like Singapore. Considering that Singapore is not a hot-bed in producing this such extreme music, and also their metal scene is relatively smaller than neighbor countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, nonetheless, they have Wormwot, and Singaporean fans are fu
cking lucky having this band in their scene.
Abuse is a very fitting album title. Southeastern Asia music lovers, especially the teenage-boys who are crazy about K-pop and boybands, probably, when they try tasting this harsh music, they won't hold-out for the second track. One grind song is more than enough to "sodomize" and "abuse" their eardrums. Aarrgghhh! Have 'em ear specialist, hmm, but wait, they easily can revert to their K-pop and favorite boybands, right? Healing themselves. It definitely will treat their traumatic! Good God. Even so, it's very worthy to notice that nothing wrong with K-pop, this genre won't slay, anyway! Also, just let them drunken and ecstatic in their somewhat gay-
ish dances - everybody has own music predilection, right? Hmm, whatever! The important thing is, as whole,
Abuse offers a solid run of grind, it is not merely energetic, dynamic, and relentless music, but it also has some groove and thrash elements inside it; tracks
Murder and
Good Times are finest examples to check out. Also,
Lost Swines is great opening track - mid-faced riffs is so impressive, cruel, and at the same time also catchy. The tracks that are less than a half minute like
Condemnation,
Sledgehammer, and another three tracks, Wormrot delivered them all wildly, fast, and uncompromisingly give the listener no chance to take a breath. First time listeners surely will have a trouble to enjoy those tracks. But, when they begin to seek for any difference on each one of them, such as song's tempo, drum fills and its alternation, guitar riffs, even vocalizing styles, sooner or later they will realize that those songs adequately varied in composition.
In relation to Wormwot's musicianship, it's pretty safe to say that this 3-piece band is very skilled and talented, or at least they do fit playing grindcore. Vocally, Arif alternates between low growl and high-pitched scream, sometimes he also manages to shriek and bark. His scream or shout probably will remind people to many traditional hardcore vocalists, while his growl, undoubtedly is a bit reminiscent of legendary death/grind act, Napalm Death. His versatile vocals pattern will give first time listeners a strong impression. With such awesome vocals performances on
Abuse, arguably Arif is one of the finest grindcore vocalists today. Guitarist Syid, beyond question, also has the real significant contribution in making this album become great. Although his riffing is not so innovative, and people easily could find this such style in many grind and hardcore albums or even thrash, however, Syid succeeded in managing his own style and gets his own signature, so let's hope he will always stand out with it. While his band-mates play solid, drummer Fitri also fits the intensity side of music. He plays with a full-energy, anger, and deliver blast-beats with nice fills here and there. Fit's drumming will stand out, he tends to explore the more 'techny' side of thrash beside his ferocious and dynamics hardcore beats delivery.
Conclusion, as mentioned earlier,
Abuse offers a solid run of grind from start to finish. It is sophisticated grind release for the advanced grind fans. Production quality is pretty polished with no any particular overwhelming instrument or sound - all is linear and proportional. Perhaps, the only real flaw, the album provides nothing groundbreaking. However, at the same time, it's also not fair citing this such thing as a flaw or weakness. Come on, let's face the fact that the album is just another excellent grind stuff - an excellent executed stuff.
Abuse is the stuff that every grindcore fan is starved for, and without being so finicky they will consume this Wormrot's debut album until they realize that 22 minutes is far than enough!
