September was a big month with many a fine album fighting for listening time. Narrowing it down to a final three was not easy and there were some hurt feelings and cracked ribs at AMG HQ. This is the violence inherent in the system though, as only the cream of the crop can rise to the top of the sump hump. Here then is that thick, rich cream ready to be ladled out. Woe to the lactose intolerant.
It’s unclear what the masses were expecting from Wormhole’s third full-length as they had certainly impressed before. What we got with Almost Human is something very different and much bigger though. Taking their tech-death slam/deathcore style to the outer limits, Wormhole crack skulls and shred flesh in entirely new ways on an album that’s heavy as fook but so weirdly listenable and addictive, it defies logic and science. It’s almost like Voivod and Cynic showed up to help this ultra-heavy act add a glimmering sheen and polish to their brutal endeavors and the end result is weird, wonderful, and world-eating. The songs have massive heft but the stunning musicianship makes them go down as easily as a mimosa on a hot summer day As an understandably gobsmacked Kenstrosity declared, “Wormhole delivered a record that holds the power to redefine how brutal tech death and slam-oriented artists write future material, thereby setting a new standard.” In a nutshell for the impatient, WOOOORRRRMMMMMHHHHOOOOLLLLEEE!!!
Runner(s) Up:
Tomb Mold // The Enduring Spirit – Tomb Mold’s ugly take on OSDM was in a state of evolution since their cesspool-friendly beginnings, but no one expected the leap forward heard on their latest opus The Enduring Spirit. Rather than continuing to mine the moldy olden glories of death metal’s past, the band opted to leap into the distant future with a newfound progressive surge. Yes, they borrow several pages from later era Death, but this is not mere Schuldiner worship. This is quirky, thoughtful and fascinating prog-death with a sharp technical know-how that few expected to hear from this particular crew of crypt lovers. Our man Ferox said it best when he opined, “Tomb Mold’s latest announces them as a band that will have not just albums, but eras.” Welcome to the new.
Sodomisery // Mazzaroth – You can hate the name all you want, but what these Swedes serve up on sophomore opus Mazzaroth is blackened melodeath gold. Taking the razor-sharp edges of Dissection and marrying them to slick melodeath like Norther and battle-tested fare like Amon Amarth is no simple ask, but Sodomisery pull it off effortlessly and make you a believer even if you don’t want to be. The music is epic, grand and sweeping and takes you to distant places to kill interesting folks who probably had it coming. Doc Grier summed it up in his typically minimalist manner thusly: “Mazzaroth will forever be that album Sodomisery will try to top.” Good luck with that, Sodomites.
