J-Man It's been a long time since the Spanish sci-fi technical death metal monsters in Wormed released their acclaimed debut entitled Planisphærium, but almost exactly a decade later, the band has finally unleashed their sophomore observation in the form of 2013's Exodromos. One of the most brutal and wacky technical death metal releases that you're likely to hear this year, Exodromos is certainly not an album for the faint of heart, as Wormed's uncompromisingly technical songwriting should prove to be a tough nut to crack for many listeners. Those into death metal on the more adventurous side will definitely want to check out what Wormed has to offer this time around, however - there are some truly interesting things going on here!

Wormed's style of brutal and technical death metal should bring acts like Cryptopsy, Defeated Sanity, Spawn of Possession, and Suffocation to mind, but I would venture to say that Wormed is quirkier and perhaps even more intense than the aforementioned bands. For one, Exodromos is a conceptual piece of science fiction that tells the tale of Krighsu, the last surviving human after the entire universe was consumed by a quantum wormhole; it's an interesting (if a tad campy) concept that serves as a nice change of pace from the genre's usual lyrical subjects, although you will probably have a tough time discerning any of the words without a lyric sheet handy. The compositions throughout Exodromos are also some of the most devastating and technical pieces of music I've heard in a while, and there's hardly a moment to catch your breath throughout the album's short, 33 minute duration. All of the musicians deliver some tremendous performances, with drummer Ricardo Mena particularly standing out to me - some of the things he plays here certainly places him among the elites in extreme metal drumming.

Exodromos also features some really solid songwriting, and even though it might seem rather disjointed to some listeners, Wormed does a nice job keeping the album interesting all the way through. I particularly dig the epic-edged closing track, "Xenoverse Discharger" - that song contains some of the album's most mesmerizing guitar licks wrapped into a rollercoaster ride of technical death metal insanity! The killer production on Exodromos allows every instrument to come through clearly, and the pitch-perfect mix suits the chaotic nature of the music perfectly.

Unfortunately, I must confess that I'm not much of a fan of Phlegeton's vocal performance on this album, and it actually drains some of my enthusiasm for Exodromos. I know a lot of folks dig his off-the-wall vocal style, but his totally undecipherable singing and frequent gurgling sound really don't do the trick for me. Although it's tough to put my finger on it, it seems to me like the vocals were added as a bit of an afterthought rather than an integral part of the arrangements; it's a shame considering the strength of the lyrics, but I do feel like the vocals are just "there", rather than adding something meaningful to the compositions. I recognize that a lot of other folks might appreciate Phlegeton's vocals, however, and it mostly just boils down to personal preference; even in spite of my personal gripe, I still enjoyed the hell out of Exodromos, and I'd definitely consider this one of early 2013's highlight for tech-death listeners. Fans of gurgled and incomprehensible vocals can even add another star to my already-recommendable rating.