Thanks to the deluge of shit commercial bands, more concerned with cranking out by-the-numbers generic breakdowns and sickly, saccharine melodies than Slayer-worship instrumentation, metalcore has become a dirty word as of late. Luckily genre progenitors like Ringworm are around to remind us it needn’t be returning with Hammer of the Witch, an album which shows that 20 years into their career, Cleveland’s prodigal songs aren’t about to rein in their sonic marauding.
Hammer of the Witch reinstates their renowned ferocity which went somewhat amiss on predecessor Scars, which while still a good listen, blunted Ringworm’s intensity and was the closest the band will come to a misstep. True to the namesake, this album comes down on the listener like a swift hammer blow to the skull, using the tried and true formula of modern hardcore-indebted grooves married with the scathing attack of extreme metal. Vocalist, Human Furnace, continues to be living proof that years of bourbon, cigarettes and relentless touring haven’t been to the detriment of his throat (in fact quite the opposite) with a voice sounding like the Furnace is caught simultaneously between a flagellation and an exorcism, spitting vitriolic, venom-laced lines like “Razor line, you feel the cold divide/Battle cry, open the devil’s eye.” Always at the forefront of the band’s signature sound, the guitars assault with all the exactness of a surgical incision, with more lacerating solos than you can shake a blade at.”King of Blood” harkens back to the halcyon days of early ’90s death metal with riffage which could have come straight out of the Florida swamps which birthed Altars of Madness. The rhythm section is equally as lethal with drumming which is precise yet bludgeoning and deep, striding bass lines on “Bleed” and “Leave Your Skin at the Door.” It’s not all denim-donning, headbanging appreciation though with the band showing why they are still favourites for basketball singlet-wearing kids the world over with tunes such as “Die Like a Pig” which at times recalls Cleveland peers and legendary hardcore band, In Cold Blood. The mixing and mastering is refined yet with enough low-end crunch that it doesn’t contrive the rawness of the product, a problem which so many bands these days suffer from.
Taken from brooklynvegan.com
Perhaps the one shortcoming of the record is that it hardly reinvents the Ringworm wheel, with the band treading the same well-worn path they have for years (“One of Us is Going to Have to Die” sounds suspiciously like “The Cage” off of The Venomous Grand Design). But in all honesty, who really gives a fuck? Where so many bands dive off the deep-end into wanky pretension and misinformed experimentation, Ringworm stay true to a sound which doesn’t show any sign of running out of steam anytime soon. It worked for Motorhead, Ramones and Slayer (to a certain degree) so really it’s a non-issue for a band of this consistent calibre. In fact in comparison to past albums like Justice Replaced by Revenge and Venomous Grand Design I probably rate it the highest out of Ringworm’s output in the last 15 years or so, a complete powerhouse of an album sure to be a favourite for everyone this year.
Stick Hammer of the Witch in your earhole and feel the ‘worm writhe inside of you.
SLANDER 