Something about EP releases in the past few years have left a bigger impact on me as a listener than full releases. The latest EP release from tech-death veterans Wormed, entitled Metaportal (Season of Mist), is no different in this regard. Four tracks spanning roughly sixteen minutes is a perfect “shock to the system” that is sure to bring in some new fans and turn them on to the rest of the band’s back catalog.
The first track, ‘Remote Void’, sets the tone of this chaotic ride after a few seconds of opening feedback. Deep guttural vocals accompanied with blast beats and eerie guitar riffs as expected from Wormed this far into their career are showcased from this opening four minutes. The outro also sounds like something out of a sci-fi/horror movie that is perhaps foreshadowing on what is to come next. ‘Cryptoubiquity’, outside of being a mouthful to pronounce, is the next track and picks right back up with the same intensity as the opening track. There is a nice little break in the action just past the three-minute mark with an extended outro which is solely synths with an ominous feel. Starting off the second half of Metaportal is ‘Bionic Relic’ and this track continues to build upon the already terrifying journey through space and time. This outro also fades into some more ominous or perhaps even mysterious synth work. The final track is entitled ‘E-Xystem://CE’ and starts off as the previous tracks had ended, with some creepy synth work, and then spills out into more technical death metal as experienced thus far. The way this song and EP ends is so unnerving that I am in absolute love with it. The volume of this repeated riff and vocals continues to get louder and louder until static starts fill in the cracks and then… silence.
Once again, an EP release has somehow blown me away more than most full-length releases have this year. The Spanish four-piece known simply as Wormed put together four tracks averaging at four minutes each that not only defines what they are best known for, but also where they are heading. Do not sleep on Metaportal as it is sure to shift your mental landscape.
8 / 10
TIM LEDIN