The ever expanding realm that is black metal has taken some curious turns in the last decade. Nowadays, it seems that most bands only ever try to be as unoriginal as possible or try to create something no less than ground-breaking. In this world of innovation, the latter tends to lead to some pretty disastrous results, but today’s topic is everything but! Leave it to Sweden to pump out yet more quality black metal, and this time it comes in the form of Wormwood.
It’s not often for me to call an album a landmark piece or iconic of whatever style the band in question is trying to pull off. I try not to sound too pretentious or act like an authority on the matter, but I cannot help but say that when it comes to Wormwood’s upcoming debut of “Ghostlands – Wounds From a Bleeding Earth”. For any band of any kind to come out of what might as well be the blackest night and then release an absolute stunner is something that is by no means unprecedented, but it’s always an amazing sense of euphoria every single time it happens and it will never once get old. Imagine a band trying to collect elements from black and folk metal, toss in some atmosphere to make things particularly ethereal, and then lay out fantastically gripping melodies in just about all twelve tracks to truly make the album an unforgettable ride that you can’t get off of because you don’t want it to end. That’s “Ghostlands” in a nutshell. Wormwood fucking blew away all sorts of doubt that I always have going into any new record, and now I can say that Sweden yet again has another phenomenal band to add to its already mythic roster. This album is an absolute treat that takes you all over with marvelous black metal expertise and then a top notch Scandinavian folk influence that permeates its entirety, and Wormwood did not let down in every aspect from the guest appearances to the very riffs that make up “Ghostlands”.
Leave it to the same record label that recruited the wonder of Darkend to also find the spectacle that is Wormwood. This piece . . . is simply one of those albums that must be heard, and once it is heard it shall spread like wildfire, and with good reason. “Ghostlands” is a fucking masterpiece of an album that gets a full ten out of fucking ten from me, and you can bet your ass that I’ll be jamming this for absolute weeks. And I advise you do the exact same upon the album’s release, for you won’t regret it – I guarantee it!
“Ghostlands – Wounds From a Bleeding Earth” releases on March 10th via Non Serviam Records!
PRE-ORDER “Ghostlands – Wounds From a Bleeding Earth” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Wormwood on Facebook here.
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