Hiss

Released

On their fourth album, and first in six years, Singapore’s Wormrot raise grindcore to an art form. They changed drummers on 2016’s Voices, and the new(ish) guy, Vijesh Ghariwala, is a heavier hitter than his predecessor, but also capable of on-a-dime shifts, which is good, because guitarist Nurrasyid Juraimi and vocalist Arif Suhaimi are bringing a lot of ideas to the table. Juraimi’s metallic riffs are as savage as ever, but he leaps from grindcore to death metal to punk to traditional hard rock and metal, as Suhaimi adopts multiple voices, from a guttural roar to a nasal yelp reminiscent of Agnostic Front’s Roger Miret to an anguished howl, and some songs (“When Talking Fails, It’s Time For Violence!”) feature old-school gang choruses. The most surprising element, though, is Myra Choo’s violin, which shows up on several tracks to add haunting horror-movie atmospheres and a shockingly King Crimson-esque progginess.

Phil Freeman

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