ALBUM REVIEW: Heaven That Dwells Within – Wormwitch

Canadian black metallers WORMWITCH have already begun making quite the name for themselves. Formed in 2015, the trio released a promising, crusty demo that same year, before following up with their debut single and debut album – Coffin Birth in 2016 and Strike Mortal Soil in 2017, respectively. Strike Mortal Coil in particular made an impact on the black metal scene, with the Canadian’s debut LP ranking respectfully on Decibel‘s End Of Year list. Two years on, WORMWITCH are back and eager to prove they aren’t a one-hit-wonder with their sophomore album, Heaven That Dwells Within. But can the trio continue the trajectory their debut set them on, or are they destined to be mired in the muds of obscurity?

It’s only been three years since WORMWITCH sprung onto the scene with Coffin Birth, but already they feel like a completely different band. Gone are the rusty production, blackened speed metal leanings and crusty, glass-gurgling vocals, in favour of a narrative focused brand of DISSECTION-esque melodic black metal, epic in scale with a cold, but crystal clear, production, big melodies and a rawer, more legible vocal delivery. Though this style is a little less “kvlt”, and more accessible, it offers something a bit more interesting, with WORMWITCH drawing comparisons to the aforementioned DISSECTION and their neighbours over the border UADA.

WORMWITCH kick off Heaven That Dwells Within with video single Disciple Of The Serpent Star. Forgoing any overdrawn intro track, Izzy Langlais delivers a brief drum fill accompanied by a grunt from front man Robin Harris, and we’re off to a strong opening. Memorable riffing and catchy vocal lines drive the song forward, while Colby Hink‘s melodies sound somewhat akin to IRON MAIDEN, if they were doused in corpse paint and goat’s blood. Vernal Womb sees WORMWITCH delve into a series of wonderful black metal riffs, before diving into some beautiful lead work. As things take a darker turn with Langlais punishing the kit, choir-esque chants add to the atmosphere. There’s a lot of strong ideas in Vernal Womb, but unfortunately the progression through these ideas lacks the execution and delivery they deserve.

WORMWITCH deliver a series of great moments as we progress through Heaven That Dwells Within – namely the crushing groove and old-school atmosphere of Two Wolves, and the one-two masterclass in melodic black metal of Benighted Blade and Midnight Sun. But it’s as we get closer to the climatic moment that WORMWITCH really pull out the biggest and best of their arsenal. Dancing In The Ashes is arguably the strongest song in the entirety of Heaven That Dwells Within, doubling down on the melody and emotion with an injection of neo-folk and clean vocals before bringing the ferocity back into play. The cleanly sung line “I’ll sing an old song/ A song I once knew/ I’ll dance in the ashes/ The ashes of you,” feels particularly poetic, and is delivered beautifully. However, it doesn’t take long for the band to bring the melodic brutality back to the forefront, delivering a song that may just be the highlight moment of their discography thus far.

The closing triplet of Lord Of Chains, Iron Woman and Alone Before The Doors Of Sil bring Heaven That Dwells Within to a close in a magical fashion. The shortest song on the album at barely over three minutes, Lord Of Chains doesn’t mess about, driving straight to the melody-drenched evisceration and coming to a close before you know what’s hit you. Although there is little argument that Dancing In The Ashes is Heaven That Dwells Within‘s strongest song, Iron Woman argues it’s case well, bringing in classic, old-school black metal riffing, an evil atmosphere, and narrative-driving spoken word passages that feel somewhat reminiscent of BEHEMOTH‘s Inner Sanctum. With Alone Before The Doors Of Sil, we see all the emotion, the melody and the pure, blackened brutality WORMWITCH have displayed throughout their sophomore effort come to a head in a grand fashion – from the opening seconds, the track truly does feel climatic, and is the perfect ending.

There is a lot to love about Heaven That Dwells Within. Having shed the crust-influence entirely, WORMWITCH have delved fully into melodic black metal with all the scale and emotion that comes with the genre. The trio still have some work to do to really establish themselves in the upper echelons of North American black metal, as there’s a few filler moments that Heaven That Dwells Within would have been stronger without, and the songwriting could benefit from being tightened up a notch. But when WORMWITCH are hitting their stride, they are delivering some of the best melodic black metal in the game. In spite of a few dips in quality, the strength of the majority of the album promises the Canadian trio are will be at the top of the genre in no time at all.

Rating: 8/10

Heaven That Dwells Within is out now via Prosthetic Records. 

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