EP REVIEW: The Path To Oblivion – Goreworm
Having only formed late last year, Ontario’s GOREWORM have wasted no time in putting together their introduction to the world with their debut EP, The Path To Oblivion. The five piece only have a handful of live shows under their collective belt, and will be looking to make a big impact with their debut release. But is it the first recordings of a band destined for greatness, or another sterile release from a band opting for brutality over substance?
The answer to that question is, somewhere in the middle. GOREWORM have a very North American style of melodic death metal, akin to the likes of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ARSIS and ALLEGAEON rather than the European originators of the genre. Abandoning the melancholic, heavy emphasis on melody found in European melodeath bands in favour of a more chaotic, brutal sound that does retain melody, but doesn’t focus on it, and mixing hints of technicality and a brutal death metal influence, GOREWORM have a sound that isn’t particularly niche within metal, but is certainly not generic either.
The Path To Oblivion gets off to a bit of a disappointing start – opening track Rest In Piss has some of the heaviest focus on melody in the entire album, but serving only as a minute long intro, the potential there for a brilliant first song is ultimately wasted. The first full track, Wombraider, again shows potential with blistering riffs, a strong hook and a well-placed breakdown, but again, comes to a close before the song has really had a chance to grow into something special. The following Beneath The Plastic completes the pattern, clocking in with a shorter length than the intro. The first three songs on The Path To Oblivion, which is a six track EP, all have potential but sound like bits of more refined songs and, ultimately, unfinished.
The final three tracks are all far superior to the start of The Path To Oblivion, with Final Nightmare giving the listener the first real taste of what GOREWORM are capable of. Final Nightmare has more of a focus on breakdown-style riffs that the tracks that will follow, though the fully-fledged breakdown is excellently placed, and the chugging nature of this style is complimented very well by the melody and lead work present throughout.
The short, punishing intro to Family Matters feels like it was written with a live setting in mind with the chuggy, stop-start style, before diving into what GOREWORM are beginning to show a real affinity for – chaotic, North American melodeath. It is The Path To Oblivion’s title track, which closes the EP, that really shines a light on the full potential of GOREWORM, however. Clocking in at six and a half minutes, the song feels quintessential of the style the five-piece are trying to carve out for themselves – lead guitar driven riffs and plenty of melody, complimented by the occasional brutal, slamming beatdown and subtle hints of proggy, technicality. The title track is really quite excellent, standing a head and shoulders above the rest of the EP and showcasing GOREWORM‘s potential to be a real frontrunner for Canada’s future death metal scene.
Despite a questionable start, The Path To Oblivion really comes into its own as the EP progresses. Though not terribly original, GOREWORM blend their brand of distinctly American melodic death metal with hints of characteristically Canadian technicality and well-placed SUFFOCATION-esque breakdowns, packaging the release with an excellent production quality that is neither sterile, nor too raw. For a debut EP, there is a lot to be impressed by throughout The Path To Oblivion, and if GOREWORM can refine their song-writing a little, there is a lot of potential to be capitalised on.
Rating: 7/10
The Path To Oblivion is out now via CDN Records.
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