Album Review: Goreworm – Miasmic Solitude
Reviewed by Sam Jones
I do enjoy technical death metal; I recall when Goreworm release their debut album six years ago though I never got round to it, though with their upcoming sophomore release, Miasmic Solitude, I’ll be able to form my opinion at last on the band. Formed in 2017 out of Ontario, Canada, Goreworm’s first release came with their 2018 EP, The Path To Oblivion, soon succeeded by that aforementioned debut 202 album titled Prodigy Of The Grotesque, the recipient of much acclaim internationally. Now picked up by Transcending Obscurity Records and penned in for a June 12th release date, Miasmic Solitude sports a striking cover from none other than Leanna TenEycke and shall be the band’s first studio release in five years; their last work being their 2021 EP Plague Of Shadows.interestingly this rendition of Goreworm now features newcomers Kyle Sharp on drums, as well as bassist/vocalist Spinny Guilbault. I was curious. Goreworm have changed half their lineup after their last full length so I wanted to get stuck in to see what this new dichotomy sounded like on record.
Setting the stage early Goreworm plunge us into a world of blast beats and sharpened vocals with riffs as enormous as they are malleable; the guitar work hardly sits still for a second before changing up, there’s no way to predict where the band will be in the next ten seconds. It’s evident the band are adept with speed for most of their songwriting sees them perform with breakneck tempo, but then there are sequences where the aesthetic changes on a whim, where the pace suddenly ceases and angelic vocals rise from the background. The band are forever playing with your expectations, ensuring no track is penned down.
The amount of material they inject into any given song is staggering. Throughout a four minute piece they’ll throw enough at you to satisfy several longer pieces by another band and it’s not like they signal these momentous developments specially, Goreworm alter the direction of their tracks at will and whether or not you can keep up isn’t their prerogative. There could be this intricate neoclassical styled riff occurring, you’ll be in their throes, and Goreworm will caution to the wind by employing huge bass drum onslaughts and riffs the scope of mountain ranges. If nothing else your money and time is rewarded with Miasmic Solitude; plunging headfirst will find your entire body pulled in owing to its astonishing depth.
I liked how it has the technical edge without needing to slam it in our faces. There’s no instance where the band slow themselves or prepare sections where you need to pay attention or where the band believe attention needs directing towards. Goreworm are going to play and if you miss something? Well, that’s remedied on another listen; what matters is what do you feel during that first experience? The technicality inherent is towards the overall songwriting as opposed to instrumental affinity, where the band have deigned to make each track as fascinating and enamouring as possible, all without losing touch of the ground beneath them. One can only imagine the planning and written technicality to actually perform this record in the studio, owing to how many components are in active use at any time.
But we mustn’t think this some condensed, slab of tech death that’s hard to follow, on the contrary Miasmic Solitude is surprisingly intelligible, sporting a wonderfully clean production with little to no dirt at times. A lot of tech death follows this approach as bands want audiences to notice their performance, but it feels so apparent regarding Goreworm since the technicality is within the songwriting. That ease of conveying their sound towards their audience allows the band to instil confidence in fans, a confidence they can return again and again and receive the same level of quality, if not more owing to the smaller niceties not picked up first time round. Goreworm can hurl vast surges of energy your way without it becoming some formless mass; you’ll always have an understanding what part is playing and how it’s contributing to the wider picture. The record manages to feel relentless and biting whilst possessing a strongly polished aesthetic with hardly a bump on the road.
In conclusion, I think Miasmic Solitude is a fantastically written technical death metal album that showcases exemplary ways of incorporating technicality into extreme metal without shoving it in fans’ faces. I think this is the approach that works best as honing in on instrumental affinity will only get you so far but writing interesting songs, that pull us in and don’t let go, that’s what will keep fans invested. There’s so much going on and so many moving pieces at a single moment and yet Goreworm never lose sight of what matters to themselves nor us. At just over forty minutes Miasmic Solitude doesn’t overstay its welcome but every single minute is justified in its longevity with material that swells each song to bursting point; there are enough ideas within to fill three albums by other bands. Miasmic Solitude has helped raise Goreworm firmly to my attention and when a new release comes, I’ll be there first in line.
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