Band:	Wormwood
Album:	The Star
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Melodic black metal
Release date:	May 31, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Stjärnfall
02. A Distant Glow
03. Liminal
04. Galactic Blood
05. Thousand Doorless Rooms
06. Suffer Existence
07. Ro

The Star from Wormwood is one of the brightest to shine this year.

Wormwood is a fairly unique metal band; starting off as a simple Swedish black 'n' roll act back in 2014, they quickly diverged their attention towards a more adventurous and dynamic route, through which they've delved deeply into all aspects of the black metal spectrum, encompassing atmospheric, symphonic and melodic black, while also incorporating elements of folk, melodeath, and even progressive rock. This all began with the highly praised full-length debut Ghostlands - Wounds From A Bleeding Earth released in 2017, and has continued on through to the present day, only now, the band have firmly cemented their own unique take on Scandinavian black metal and established a name for themselves, bringing us to their fourth and latest full-length offering, The Star. Featuring a 4-man line-up of J.Engström (Guitars), T.Rydsheim (Guitars), Nine (vocals) and Oscar Tornborg (bass), which has remained unchanged since their previous outing Arkivet, what does this latest instalment offer?

For a start, there's no ignoring the peculiar cover art, which looks nothing close to anything representing black metal, and that's not all that makes this latest offering so satisfyingly unique. The Star also covers a wide variety of lyrical themes throughout its 7 tracks, ranging from the vastness of the cosmos, to the hardships of the 1800s and the fall of mankind. Its main theme, however, reflects on the star crashing into the ocean, representing the end of the world, causing famine and devastation, which again is a reflection on previous instalments. Unsurprisingly, the music is also equally flabbergasting, and this is evidently clear from the opening song "Stjärnfall". This opener is quite a lengthy track at just under 9 minutes, and one that really sums up this uniquely talented band to a tee. There are not many songs I've heard that go from a blend of symphonic, atmospheric and melodic black metal, to then follow it right after a momentary pause with a remarkable Pink Floydian guitar solo with light synths in the background, closely resembling "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". This is then followed by an almighty epic symphonic section featuring stunning angelic female singing alongside harsh blackened shrieks, as if some kind of dysfunctional beauty and the beast-style choir is at work.

Now, if you thought the opening track has plenty to offer, that's only the beginning of what this intriguing album has in store. The style and structure behind each track is relatively easy listening, or at the very least accessible, which is especially ideal for those who're not very well accustomed to the more extreme end of metal. Some songs are even light-hearted and catchy despite the seemingly serious apocalyptic lyrical themes at their centre. The second song featured is "A Distant Glow", a song which in some ways sounds almost the polar opposite to the opening track. The tone is clearly more melancholic here, mostly consisting of heavy mid-tempo death-doom slogs and melancholic melodeath riffs, like a combination of Insomnium meets early Katatonia, with strikingly more upbeat Gothenburg elements (particularly reminiscent of Dark Tranquillity) thrown in for good measure. The third song "Liminal" follows a similar route, except it veers slightly more towards meloblack as opposed to melodeath, combining a touch of melancholy with added blackened ferocity.

From here, it's remarkable how often the structure goes back and forth from meloblack to melodeath; it's even often hard to distinguish one genre from the other, and things only become all the more interesting once the mesmerizing synth work comes into play, which is often where the band really come into their own. It's here during the dazzling atmospheric black keyboard melodies where I find the band to be at their best, but I'm also in awe when they suddenly unleash their prize party piece, the classic progressive rock guitar solos, which as mentioned earlier are almost a modern take on Pink Floyd, and let me tell you, these solos are utterly refreshing to hear from an extreme metal perspective.

The musicianship performance has always been a real standout factor for Wormwood, and here they're on the top of their game; this is possibly one of the finest displays of 2024 in fact, but it's also quite remarkable how the songwriting rarely, if ever, drops below a high standard. Simply put, The Star is by no means a mere gimmick that takes inspiration from numerous acts, splicing styles together without thought, care, or attention; it's the complete opposite, in fact. Understandably this won't suit the needs of every listener; it's far from your standard traditional meloblack or typical atmospheric black approach, it may take trve kvltists out of their comfort zone. However, it's a bold yet smart effort crafted to an exceptionally high standard, and that's one thing you simply can't take away from Wormwood here.