Vim Fuego
The cover of this album is quite striking. It is a shattered line drawing of a mentally shattered face, and is an apt representation of the music contained within.
Wormrot has always dealt in stripped back, no nonsense grindcore, and that is exactly what “Voices” delivers. Twenty songs, 26 minutes, it is an incredibly intense mindfuck. “Voices” will seem like white noise to many metal fans. Thanks for listening, but this is not for you. This one is for the grinders, the noise freaks, the explorers of sounds at the extreme edge of music. And for devotees of the extreme, it doesn’t get much better than this. The sound is clear and sharp, or at least as sharp as it is supposed to be. Being signed to Earache means the band has a recording budget and access to a decent studio. The distortion and filth is all meant to be there, and isn’t the result of recording in a garage with a wobbly old tape on an ancient Walkman.
And so, riff after meaty riff comes blasting out of the speakers, backed by frenetic, pinpoint accurate drumming, along with throat shredding, hyper-intense shriek/growl vocals.
Yes, there are songs here, and lyrics, obviously, but does it really matter? “Voices” is short, and should be listened to in one sitting. Music as violent and fierce as this is to be actively absorbed, not passively listened to.