Tech Death Thursday: Boreworm
The swarm descends. Boreworm is back with a vengeance!
Some tech death news:
- While not exactly “tech” death, Dyscarnate recently signed to Unique Leader and recently announced that they’ll be hitting the studio next week. If you’re into Dying Fetus or Unbreakable Hatred, this is sure to whet your whistle.
- Cryptopsy has become the latest band to put out music videos far beyond their parent album’s release. But hey, it’s a good excuse to go back to The Book of Suffering again. Check out the video for “Halothane Glow” here.
- Benighted has a new album on the way, and it sounds monstrous. Listen to “Versipellis” over at Terrorizer and look for Necrobreed on February 17th.
- Newcomers Godeater have some music on the way, along with a short teaser. It’s hard to make any judgments based on the little that’s present, but it sounds tech and that’s good enough for me.
Ah, Boreworm, bridge over the great divide. Technical enough for us tech-heads to nerd out over it, but grounded as to not drive away those who might shy away from such proclivities. Born from the ashes of The Yellow Sign, Boreworm were quick to distance themselves from their deathcore roots, preferring instead the label of “insectile death metal.” I suspect the title has more to do with the lyrics than the music; when I hear “insectile,” I think of a skittering, dissonant sound with an emphasis on staccato leads. Instead, their sound is a mixture of low, heavy riffing and surprisingly pretty bridges and solos.
Those ethereal melodies don’t detract from the overarching theme of cosmic horror, though. Entomophobia‘s story picks up where Black Path left off, dealing with the aftermath of a massive cult calling beings from the far reaches of space to devour the earth. Musically, it has gone in a somewhat different direction from its predecessor. It feels less like a “tech death” album than Black Path did; the same sense of urgency is present on Entomophobia, but the showmanship has been dialed back in favor of building a foreboding atmosphere befitting the concept. There are all kinds of guitar acrobatics, including a particularly intimidating solo on the title track, but that’s not the focus anymore. Thick chugs dwell in canyons below clouds of acidic chords, swarms of vicious melodies occasionally darting between them. There are a few moments of reprieve, but they’re always brief and made uneasy with the knowledge that there’s still something lurking around the next corner.
It’s honestly something of an achievement that a band can pull this off without diving headfirst into Deathspell Omega or Demilich territory. To me, the sound of monsters beyond space and time is best handled by bands whose sound is composed of pure alien dissonance, as there’s always some level of comfort to be found in the familiar. Despite that, Boreworm are able to build a suitably horrific experience on melody and the pure ugliness of their riffs, straightforward as they may be. This, combined with the evolution of their sound and a strong concept, makes Entomophobia a powerful step forward for the band. Moreover, it’s just a solid piece of music that any death metal fan should take pleasure in.
If you like what you heard, you can follow Boreworm on Facebook for updates and all that social media goodness. Entomophobia is out this Saturday, November 19th, and can be acquired from Bandcamp in both physical and digital formats. That’s all for this week, and until next time,
Do you have a band you would like to see featured? A new release we should keep an eye on? Or maybe you want to do some writing yourself? Then email us at techdeathtovh@gmail.com and make your voice heard!
