WORMWOOD: “THE STAR”

(On May 31st Sound Pollution/Black Lodge Records will release the closing album in a trilogy about death by the Swedish band Wormwood, and today we provide Didrik Mešiček‘s review of the new record.)

There are not a lot of bands who haven’t made any bad records but I’d say Wormwood is one of them. The Swedes are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and releasing their newest album, The Star, on May 31st, 2024, on Black Lodge Records. Their previous release, Arkivet, delved a bit into post-metal and came with a rather melancholic, misanthropic view, suggesting mankind deserves death for its role in the current events on the planet, but they’ve been known to involve folkier and more melodic elements in their tracks before that as well, so now it’s time to see what the new release offers.

The album begins in a fairly subdued manner with the nearly nine-minute-long “Stjärnfall,” featuring a surprising amount of calm atmospheric sounds, especially in the latter half. It’s quickly clear that this isn’t one of those hard-hitting black metal albums but instead focuses more on introspection and pensiveness, thus continuing somewhat from their previous release.  “Stjärnfall” is not without heaviness, however, with Tatu Kerttula adding some great blast beats in the intense middle section of the song. It’s the ending where this song shines the most, though, as the growls of Nine are joined by clean vocals, creating a lovely symbiosis.

The melodics are very present on this record, but the black metal part is more questionable. There’s a bit of a trend in cooking where the chef will deconstruct a dish and arrange the elements on the plate separately. This is how this album feels at times. All the elements of black metal (and some others) are more or less there, yet it doesn’t really sound that much like black metal. The release meanders through the subgenres, meeting the edges of melodic black metal, melodeath, post-metal, as well as some classic rock influences like on the song “Liminal.” It all makes for a pretty unique and cool experience.

The aforementioned “Liminal” is one of the highlights of the album. It features a very catchy (growled) chorus while the guitar work that accompanies it is excellent. The Star has a bit of a cosmic theme and the album reflects that in its sound. “Galactic Blood” has some really interesting electronic notes that just sound alien, and the track seems to imply some kind of a space exploration. While the album works as a cohesive unit, each track also brings something unique which makes this record an album that will be rewarding to listen to again and again as it reveals new interesting details to you, such as the beautifully contrasting female vocals at the end of “Suffer Existence.”

I’ve had to check the length of this record as I thought it seemed rather short – but at 47 minutes that’s not really the case. It instead means it’s kept me engaged very well and the album saves the best for last in the form of “Ro,” a ten-minute closing melancholy song, sung entirely in Swedish. It begins soothingly and dreamily and once again absolutely flows through the genres, yet combines them beautifully into a complex whole. The transitions from the gentle parts to the actual metal are very sensible and thought-out before the song mellows out completely and fades away with a plea to let us die peacefully with the universe.

Apparently, I’ve not had a bad word to say about this album throughout my review so here’s some potential criticism: I don’t think this album is going to reach very many people. While it has lots of quality and a really cool concept, its undefined genre makes it hard for it to find its spot in the grand universe of metal. However, Wormwood, has proven once again that their albums are very well-designed, and The Star is one of the more profound and thought-provoking releases I’ve heard in 2024, thus continuing their trend of making no bad albums.

Lineup:
Jerry Engström – guitars
Tobias Rydsheim – guitars, lyrics, songwriting
Nine – vocals, lyrics
Oscar Tornborg – bass
Tatu Kerttula – drums

https://wormwood-official.bandcamp.com/album/the-star
https://orcd.co/the-star
https://www.facebook.com/WormwoodSWE/