While the world of extreme music continues to flourish, many people seem to forget the local bands that are putting out amazing work right underneath our noses. Boston’s very own, Hepatagua, has recently put out their Worms EP (Self-Released) to hype up an upcoming full length release. The two piece, Aaron Gray on guitar/vocals and Nate Linehan on drums, put together a sound that sounds like four people are required to create. Five tracks just under a half hour is a perfect sample for new and old fans of the sludge/doom metal locals.

The title track, ‘Worms’ is the first track with vocals (the opener, ‘…aimless…’ is an instrumental with a killer opening sample) and really showcases the aggressive side of Hepatagua as a full unit. The hardcore side of the sludge sound shines just enough to get a taste while the lyrics are very down to Earth (others may call it “nihilistic”) where there are no special snowflakes, rather we are just walking sacks of flesh and slowly dying. ‘No Rights’ is another solid track on the Worms EP which has a more melodic feel to it but does not let off the gas pedal all that much. Aaron actually does some clean singing in the chorus that adds just enough catchiness to stay fresh in your mind the rest of the day. The closing track, ‘Ganesha’, is a chugging locomotive from the get go. Nate’s thunderous drum work adding a frame to Aaron’s fuzzy guitar riffs really brings up your mood for the first three or so minutes. However, the tempo quickly descends into a gorgeous doom outro that drags you through the muddy tracks as the train pulls into the station.

Hepatagua as an entity may be young, but the sound is clearly that of mature artists. This EP sets forth a promise set by the Boston duo that what is to come in future is looking bright. My only gripe with this record is that I am left wanting more, granted, ‘Ganesha’ is a fantastic closing track. Living in Massachusetts, I have the privilege of seeing Hepatagua more often than most and I highly recommend readers, if they can, to catch a live show.

7.5/10

TIM LEDIN