World Ov Worms

Zyklon

Candlelight Records, 2001

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zyklon

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/05/2001

Sometimes, words fail me when it comes time to write a review. How does one express an idea he heard musically that seems to defy description?

This is the case I'm faced with regarding the Norweigan death-metal band Zyklon, whose debut album World Ov Worms (no, that's not a mis-spelling on my part) was released earlier this year. How do you describe something which is heavier than an anvil falling on your head, but isn't strictly death metal? How do you describe something which has hints of industrial music intertwined, but is most definitely not an industrial album? How do you describe a band whose two guitarists also share the bass work, but who at the time of the recording did not officially have a lead singer?my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

How do you describe all that? How's about "good"? How's about "damn good"? How's about "slam your head into the steering wheel until your eyes bleed damn good"?

The band - lead guitarist/bassist Destructhor, guitarist/bassist Zamoth and drummer Trym - take metal to the extreme on World Ov Worms, creating a sound which must be what the Apocalypse will sound like. (Ah, so that's what I'll hear the day the Cubs win the World Series!) Add into this limited, but well-used, programming and samples (courtesy of T. Akkerhaugen), the occasional female spoken-word vocal from Persephone and the throat-scraping vocals of Daemon, and you've got a band which is definitely not for the weak of heart.

If World Ov Worms has any weakness, it's that the drums are mixed so far into the front that they tend to blot out the guitar and bass work - a shame, since they're as integral to Zyklon's sound as the lightning-fast trap work by Trym. It also makes it that much harder to decipher Daemon's vocals on tracks like "Chaos Deathcult" and "Terrordrome". (The liner notes of my promotional copy say the lyrics are anti-religious and apoclyptical - okay, if you say so. I can't tell.)

World Ov Worms is by no means an easy listen, but anything that's worth using your brain on has some level of challenge to it. If this is the next wave in extreme death metal, then Zyklon is definitely leading the way… and it will be interesting to see how it develops in the years to come. This is an exciting album, and well worth the sacrifice of time and your hearing.

Rating: A-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


Comments

 








© 2001 Christopher Thelen and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Candlelight Records, and is used for informational purposes only.