Maybe I’ve just been watching too much of Noisey’s recent documentary on the NOLA music scene lately but the debut opus from MA natives Wormwood shares a lot of its DNA from the greats of down south than any of the bands the Wormwood members have been previously or currently associated with. A more straightforward Eyehategod in spots, Kylesa in others, this offshoot of an offshoot absolutely rips from start to finish.
“Hollow Black Eyes” sets the sludgy stage from the get go conjuring up visions of a bleak apocalypse as drummer Chris Belivacqua lumbers on like molasses and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Chris Pupecki creates a wall of feedback and screams his ass off. Meanwhile, “Indoctrination” puts a little bit of a melvins spin on Wormwood’s sound accented by Pupecki’s biting vocal bursts.
You know how I feel about reprises, right? They’re awesome! And any band that has one and can pull it off gets a pass in my book. Luckily the members of Wormwood has talent in spades to not only pull their “Reprise” off which closes the album but to also masterfully craft this stunning debut.
Wormwood is out through Magic Bullet Records on October 14th. We highly recommend picking it up immediately digitally and pre-order your vinyl here (Vinyl due October 28th).