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Vermin Womb - Decline review




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Reviewer:
8.0

16 users:
7.06
Band: Vermin Womb
Album: Decline
Release date: October 2016


01. Entomb
02. Industrialist
03. Disrepair
04. Present Day
05. Rank & File
06. Pitiless
07. Age Of Neglect
08. Inner World
09. Slave Money
10. Cancer

Getting hit in the face with a sledgehammer is, in all likelihood, not an overly pleasant experience. However, some have been known to enjoy the fine art of masochism, and their preference should not be discounted.

Vermin Womb are the aural equivalent of that sledgehammer. The newest band fronted by the monstrous Ethan McCarthy (ex-Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire, Withered, Primitive Man), in 2014 this trio hit the ground running with the deadly Permanence EP, and this year's Decline debut only keeps the blitzkrieg train a'rollin. Essentially grindcore with subtle shades of sludge and black metal type riffing, here Vermin Womb prove themselves to be a total steamroller of a band, capable of channeling some of the nastiest aspects of all three areas for a truly imposing and uncompromising formula (just give the filthy "Slave Money" a listen).

With some musicians who play in multiple bands, each comes to take on its own unique identity, but this isn't quite the case with Ethan McCarthy, whose trademark "blackened sludgegrind" sound seems to run consistently throughout all of his work. Vermin Womb being no exception, it's best to perhaps understand Decline in comparison to what's come before it. What makes this album shine isn't really originality or an impressive mood variation. Start to finish, it's just one giant ball of all out ferocity. The trick though is the different ways in which that ferocity is applied. Sometimes it's balls to the wall speed, a la CTTOAFF or Death Of Self ("Entomb," "Disrepair"). At other points the slower sound in which the sludge and BM come out more takes precedence, sounding closer to Primitive Man, and this approach is equally as crushing ("Age Of Neglect, "Cancer"). Clearly, McCarthy and company understand that "violent" can have many different manifestations.

The current lineup of Vermin Womb, with the exception of drummer Patrick Fiorentino, is exactly the same as the final CTTTOAFF lineup. So in a way, this band could be seen as one that has risen from CTTOAFF's ashes. But far from being an outright clone, Vermin Womb also incorporates a lot of the slower, "meatier" touches from some of McCarthy's previous work into the creation of a sound that, while not the next !T.O.O.H.!, is still considerably fresh and deliciously relentless. Nevermind those troublesome bits of metal that pop your bike tires as you're cruising down the street. This is the "us" that you want to be one of.

You've been a very bad human being. You deserve no less than a very fitting punishment.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 7
Production: 8





Written on 15.10.2016 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013.


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 190 users
15.10.2016 - 18:30
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Yeah no doubt this is gonna be a delicious album. And most importantly never knew until you regularly mentioned in the SB that this had the same brains behind bands such as CTTTOAFF, Withered and Primitive Man which is all the more reason not to miss this at all, so thanks to you for that and the nice review here.
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15.10.2016 - 20:30
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by 3rdWorld on 15.10.2016 at 18:30

Yeah no doubt this is gonna be a delicious album. And most importantly never knew until you regularly mentioned in the SB that this had the same brains behind bands such as CTTTOAFF, Withered and Primitive Man which is all the more reason not to miss this at all, so thanks to you for that and the nice review here.

Yeah glad to help man, I love Ethan and the massive sound he conjures, both on guitar and with those fear-striking vocals. Like I said, not necessarily creative in its theory (obviously violent grindcore is nothing new), but more in application. I'm sure there have to be some out there, but I can't think of many other bands that incorporate sludge and BM influences into a larger grind sound in this way. Can you?
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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15.10.2016 - 20:48
3rdWorld
China was a neat
Written by Auntie Sahar on 15.10.2016 at 20:30

Yeah glad to help man, I love Ethan and the massive sound he conjures, both on guitar and with those fear-striking vocals. Like I said, not necessarily creative in its theory (obviously violent grindcore is nothing new), but more in application. I'm sure there have to be some out there, but I can't think of many other bands that incorporate sludge and BM influences into a larger grind sound in this way. Can you?

Uh, oh no not really much I can think of. I haven't really done a genre specific deep dive on this. Some of Antigama's earlier albums like their 2009 record specifically was monolithically heavy grind that borders on sludge-heaviness but still was predominantly techgrind. Not much doom or sludge influence, but you might wanna check out Wadge's Grindcore Lu'au and Robocop II albums on the label Grindcore Karaoke, if you haven't yet. Also there's a gigaton of grind there so a nice place to scourge through if you have some time to kill.

I will be on the lookout though and definitely send stuff like this your way when I find.
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15.10.2016 - 22:29
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by 3rdWorld on 15.10.2016 at 20:48

Some of Antigama's earlier albums like their 2009 record specifically was monolithically heavy grind that borders on sludge-heaviness but still was predominantly techgrind. Not much doom or sludge influence, but you might wanna check out Wadge's Grindcore Lu'au and Robocop II albums on the label Grindcore Karaoke, if you haven't yet. Also there's a gigaton of grind there so a nice place to scourge through if you have some time to kill.

Antigama are nice indeed, I remember that Meteor album they put out a few years ago being particularly "different" for the genre. I've gradually been getting more into grind and hardcore via sludge, because when I first started listen to sludge, it was more doom-influenced bands, but gradually I started listening to stuff like Herder, Fistula, etc., more hardcore-ish sludge, and it made me want to dive deeper into that genre. So bands that really combine the two into some kind of "sludgecore" or "sludgegrind" (like Vermin Womb) are totally cool in my book.

Thanks for the label rec, will scope!
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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16.10.2016 - 06:06
Rating: 9
Desert Father

How does it compare to Permanence?
----
"Truly, my child, if I were allowed to see my sins, three or four men would not be enough to weep
for them." - Abba Dioscorus
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16.10.2016 - 18:28
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Desert Father on 16.10.2016 at 06:06

How does it compare to Permanence?

It's really not that different at all, though I would say that overall the production is better, and the mixture of influences (grind, sludge, BM) feels a bit tighter
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
Loading...
17.10.2016 - 01:46
Rating: 9
Desert Father

Written by Auntie Sahar on 16.10.2016 at 18:28

Written by Desert Father on 16.10.2016 at 06:06

How does it compare to Permanence?

It's really not that different at all, though I would say that overall the production is better, and the mixture of influences (grind, sludge, BM) feels a bit tighter


Nice, though I loved the production of Permanence, the bass sounded so filthy.
----
"Truly, my child, if I were allowed to see my sins, three or four men would not be enough to weep
for them." - Abba Dioscorus
Loading...
17.10.2016 - 01:49
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Desert Father on 17.10.2016 at 01:46

Nice, though I loved the production of Permanence, the bass sounded so filthy.

It still is here. That's part of what I love about Ethan's bands, he doesn't often include a second guitarist other than himself. So in turn the bass gets more of a role and you end up having a rhythm section that is just heavy as fucking Everest. It's truly great stuff
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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