Cryptworm is a spectacular name for a death metal band. It was why I grabbed this promo on a whim when I felt the need for something heavy and nasty, and I certainly found both. A deathly duo from the UK like the recently reviewed Slob, this pair of twisted fellows focus less on anal abuse and more on classic death topics like bloody chunks of meat, dismemberment, and all things clinical/medical/awful. On their debut full-length, Spewing Mephitic Putridity they skip innovation and envelope-pushing in favor of ripping you apart with sick riffs, massive grooves, and grotesque voKILLS while blending the best elements of Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and Autopsy into a sticky, stinky trip to the morgue that will end in shame and litigation. Sign me up and suit me up!
Wasting no time with silly intros or horror samples, you’re launched directly into the meat muddler on “Disgorged Chunks of Life,” which rocks an early Carcass goregrind style with a large amount of swagger. It’s entertaining and memorable and the huge riffs and absolutely repellent vocals are sure to make you smile (then toss the cookies). One tasty riff falls away to reveal another equally ripe lead, and things are kept tight and terrifying the whole time. More of the same corpse pâté is served up hot, slimy and rotten with equally pungent cuts like “Immense Cerebral Decomposition” bringing in slight traces of Heartwork era Carcass caked with offal and goat guts. There are some huge moments here that I want plugged right into my veins with an unclean IV, and I’m nothing but impressed with what these grave worms are capable of. It’s not all Carcass worship either, as “Reduced to Liquefied Mass” takes a bloody page from the book of Cannibal Corpse, circa “Hammer Smashed Face” and then proceeds to smash you bloody with it, in the facial area.
The whole album is a gleeful clusterfuck of meatheaded, beer-brained death metal and it’s glorious for what it is. Nothing new at all is offered, but classic shit is done exceedingly well and with infectious enthusiasm. For example, the way “Premature Entombment” opens with the phlegmiest, most disgusting sounds I’ve heard since living in the hellish rugby house in college is a joyous wonder, and the doomy, filthy riffs that follow are like mana from Heaven’s cesspool. Likewise, the riffs on “Septic Phlegm Asphyxia” are hyperactive, insane and tons of fun. Add in the spit/vomit/seizure sounds from Tibor Hanyi and it’s something to be experienced. No song feels like filler, and there’s a lively and effective blend of tempos ranging from balls out blasting to crawling doom. At a slim 33 minutes, the whole enterprise is unzipped from the body bag, defiled, and sent to the incineraTOR in a flash. Sure, you’ve heard all this grisly nonsense before, and that’s why it isn’t a landmark moment for 2022, but it sure is a fun one.
Mr. Hanyi handles guitar, vocals and bass, and boy howdy do they get handled! The guitar-work is great, with loads of killer riffs buzzing around the autopsy slab, and there are enough huge chugs to further remind me of my days in the hellish rugby house. The riffing style isn’t quite goregrind but I bet it knows the way, and there are plenty of huge, crushing grooves to savor as you’re dragged to the pathology lab. The vocals are something else altogether, and I love how over-the-top Hanyi goes to get the music across. Much spit, bile and lung oogies are projected in service of the songs, and all of it bears the mark of contagion. If COVID had a voice, this would be it. The drumming by Joe knight is suitably frantic and grinding but also bears a bouncy, jaunty vibe that makes all the gore and grizzle seem like a day in the park with disturbed friends. It all makes from a wild listen.
Spewing Mephitic Putridity is rancid meat n’ bowel taters death metal made for cavemen and mindless brutes, but it’s so well done that the lack of core originality matters little. This is a tight platter of splatter with ugly scabs and scads of juicy riffs topped with regurgitated vocals that will offend everyone in your life. Death metal can be heavy as fook and still be big, stupid fun, and that’s the lesson Cryptworm clearly learned well in their misspent youth. In short, go to the crypt, get your worm on, and spews your own adventure.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Pulverised Records | Me Saco Un Ojo
Websites: cryptworm.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cryptworm
Releases Worldwide: March 11th, 2022
