WORMROT — Abuse (review)

Album · 2009 · Grindcore

4/5 · 2019-12-06
siLLy puPPy

When you think of Singapore, if you think of it at all (assuming you don’t live there!), you usually associate the balmy equatorial tiny city state as a lush green metropolis famous for its flower gardens and ethnic fusion of all things Asian. Extreme metal is certainly not what comes to mind but perhaps that cool song by Tom Waits does! Throw all those preconceptions out the window. WORMROT changed it all! Not only has this grindcore band put this tiny nation on the map in the world of extreme metal but this band has consistently delivered some of the highest quality examples of this caustic by taking the most hardcore sounds of early Napalm Death and creating a frenetic fury usually reserved for the techiest death metal bands.

Although this band started by five members in 2007, it would take a few demos, EPs and splits to get warmed up for the debut album ABUSE that erupted in 2009 from the city state on the tip of the Malay Peninsula. WORMROT has been terrorizing the uninitiated ever since which proves not to be too difficult thing to achieve in an area of the world that is more enamored with K-pop than the likes of Pig Destroyer. After several founding members jumped ship before this debut, ABUSE features only three members: vocalist Arif, guitarist Rasyid and drummer Fitri but together this power trio creates enough ruckus to wake the dead. WORMROT means business. Seriously.

On the surface WORMROT comes off as just another grindcore band that holds tight to the status quo. You know, frenetically sped up caustic guitar riffs, insane screamed / shouted vocals and percussive pummelation from hell all mixed up with nasty and vicious and often hilarious themes. While not exactly reinventing the wheel, WORMROT nonetheless mastered this demanding metal subgenre with apparent ease and takes the style to uncomfortable extremes. The star of this noisy show is clearly Arif whose vocal range was tailor made for this incessantly heavy musical madness. Between his high pitched screams, emphatic shouts and deathened guttural growls, his graceful transitions between the styles is a testament to the vitality that he carries within. Likewise guitarist Rasyid delivers a non-stop barrage of highly caustic distorted riff assaults that pop off like an AK-47.

Taking the music maturity to the next level would not be possible without the technically infused drumming wizardry of Fitri. While never deviating from the balanced musical flow of the instrumental interplay, this dude punishes his drum set to wickedly wild that he seamlessly delivers an incessant attack while throwing in sophisticated fills that bedazzle the imagination. The culmination of this trio (minus a bass sound but that’s not apparent) is sheer grindcore perfection at least in the delivery system. As i’ve already stated, originality isn’t the name of the game here. There are no weird extra sound flavors like on Pig Destroyer album nor are there deviations from the roller coaster ride of punk infused energy that only misses the 22 minute mark but fueled with high octane freneticism that is unrelenting in its rampage.

In the end, i doubt many grindcore fans are looking for art rock and just want to rock the fucking house with blastbeats, guitar rage and solidly squealed vocals that run the gamut of insane delivers. In that department WORMROT nails it with its exemplary delivery of grindcore splendor. This is a rare case where a band from a primarily non-metal part of the world has done its homework and exceeded its mentors in stamina and determination. This is what modern extreme metal is all about. Incessant energetic performances that are of Olympic athlete perfection. If ever there was a band that would make the perfect mascot for its home on Earache Records, no better candidate than WORMROT comes to mind because it’s not only those wriggling creatures that live in the dirt that will meet their demise. This will cause your brain to decay and force you to like it while it usurps your freewill. Nice job~!