Review: Wormed – OMEGON
O ME GON Becky, look at her butt…
When I was a kid, I was always slightly worried about getting worms. Pretty sure my preoccupation with the possibility stemmed from my parents. My mom suggested being thin might be caused by a tape worm. My dad actually did have worms at one point when he was younger, likely caused by walking barefoot outside. I think it’s like quicksand. I saw it so much in cartoons I thought it was likely to happen. In this case, I heard so much about worms I figured it was more common than it was. I mean, every dog I ever had needed to be de-wormed. Why not people? It’s honestly unbelievable the amount of psychological damage a parent can do with a passing comment. Granted, I don’t have a phobia or anything. Just a general fear of the invisible dangers all around me. It’s a wonderful world, full of possibilities, all ending in a nightmarish, painful agony I can’t yet imagine but am certain will come for me when I least expect it.
Guess it’s a good thing I have music to comfort me through these dark times. Instead of worrying about the current state of the world, Wormed always reminds me of the impending sci-fi hellscape that awaits us all. It’s like a warm blanket in an otherwise empty, sub-zero vacuum of space. Things could always be worse, and there’s probably some fucked up timeline out there where no one ever invented the blast beat. [A truly horrific thought. -Roldy]
Whether you follow this band closely or are just tuning in for the latest record, OMEGON is unlikely to disappoint. It’s top-tier tech death full of everything you’d expect from a band that has over two decades of experience in the genre. They’ve really carved out their own unique sound over the years. The most biting criticism I could ever offer up against them is that their music often feels a bit “samey”, but saying as much can’t be stated without acknowledging the sheer complexity of what’s going on. It’s only after repeat listens that I gain any clarity into the pummeling madness. Last time I spun this album I picked up on some musical through lines in the riffs that were lost on me during the first go around. In truth, the music is just dense. It’s a very “blink and you’ll miss it” approach to songwriting. That’s not a bad thing. It just demands more attention from the listener, and OMEGON is packed with so much intricacy it’s easy to zone out and gloss over the finer details. Case in point, I don’t usually walk away from albums like this remembering much of what happened. I just appreciate the journey they take me on.
As a drummer I usually hone in on what the drums are doing first so I can more easily follow the music, but that’s kind of hard to do here. There are so many change ups and fills that make me say, “what the fuck?”, it becomes nearly impossible to listen from that perspective. Instead I find Wormed easier to follow by just taking in the wall of sound and judging it by the atmosphere it creates. In this case it’s a themed album, apparently lyrically tied into their previous work:
Omegon: a cosmic substance defying mortal grasp. Amidst ancient conflict, civilizations vie for its boundless power, blurring reality’s lines. From shadows emerges Krighsu, a timeline hacker entangled in manipulation by cosmic forces. Amidst surreal realms, he battles to unlock Omegon’s mysteries, where truths conflict and dimensions warp. In its depths lies ultimate power, yet the price is steep, a fleeting illusion of reality itself.
Like…whoa. I feel like Keanu Reeves standing outside the Circle K after reading that. But it’s cool they include that level of depth if people want to enjoy it that way. Personally I find it fascinating to hear a record that makes me feel the same way it’s described in words. The construction is so intentional it’s hard to knock it on any level. It’s blisteringly fast, intensely complicated, and full of a foreboding sense of dread specific to a cosmic catastrophe that has not yet occurred. Every member of the band is performing on a level most of us can only dream of.
If you decide to skip this one that’s certainly your prerogative, but the only reason to do so is if you didn’t like any of the band’s previous efforts. OMEGON is easily up there as one of their best albums to date, though making such a comparison seems trivial against their fantastic back catalog. Rarely do bands go this hard for this long without resorting to slowing down, changing their sound, or deciding that their music would benefit from clean singing (YUCK!). Wormed, please keep on doing what you’re doing!
4.5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
OMEGON is out on Bandcamp now!
