Formed from the choking embers of the mighty Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire comes the equally disgusting Vermin Womb – a three piece grinding death machine hailing from Denver, Colorado. While sharing similar traits in style and approach, Vermin Womb violently surpasses it’s predecessor with unforgiving bedlam on their new offering Decline.
Consisting of front man and guitarist Ethan McCarthy (Primitive Man, Withered), bassist Zach Harlan and drummer JP Damron, Vermin Womb’s Decline picks up right where the band’s 2014 EP Permanence left off, delivering a maelstrom of bitter, black tar vitriol over the course of 24 agonizing minutes. Shifting effortlessly from blistering, blasting grindcore to pummeling, barbaric death metal at the drop of a dime, Vermin Womb yields a toxic dosage of remorseless and unabashed abhorrence that cuts deep to the bone.
From beginning to end, Decline violently delivers wave after wave of straightforward, interminable misanthropy with razor-sharp precision. Opening track “Entomb” lights the wick immediately, blasting away through thick walls of dissonant riffage and guttural barking, creating an atmosphere of pure disgust that will carry over all 10 tracks of this devastating piece of work. “Industrialist” follows suit, grinding bones into dust and shredding the senses before slowing down briefly, showcasing the band’s abilities to bend genres and traverse into thick and mucky doom territory. The cessation of blast beasts is brief, however, and the unforgiving stream of chaos returns for “Disrepair,” a one-minute long blast of filthy, ear-splitting grind-done-right. “Present Day” and “Rank and File” are next up, further exalting the band’s disdain for the human race with calloused rigor. There is an overwhelming feeling of negativity that envelopes this release, along with a sense of total and complete claustrophobia, heightened by drummer JP Damron’s constant signature changes and McCarthy’s sludgy, low-end riffing. The next several tracks continue to eviscerate and brutalize before closing with the monstrous “Cancer,” a summation of all of the aforementioned traits rolled into one, giant ball of cruel and abusive turmoil. Decline is a violent and threatening expression of nihilistic contempt that stands as a stark reminder of all that is undoubtedly wrong with the world that we live in.
On Decline, Vermin Womb have honed their skills to a sharp and bloody point. This is undeviating, nonstop aural punishment, not for the weak of heart and it cannot be compared to anything else out there right now. Grind fans, death fans, and extreme music enthusiasts of all forms should do well to become familiar with this project, as this is only the beginning of Vermin Womb’s sadistic rampage of ruination.
Front man Ethan McCarthy encapsulates Decline‘s discordant and jarring atmosphere into the album’s artwork.
Vermin Womb will be embarking on a full US tour beginning September 29th with dates that include bands Immortal Bird, Gadget, Theories and Wake as support. Decline will be released through Translation Loss records on October 28th. The CD and vinyl formats can be pre-ordered here through the Translation Loss store, and the cassette is available here through Sentient Ruin.
Video by Chariot Of Black Moth
