The Worst Form of Life

Here we got another example of great Italian death metal. This time we are talking about a band that has been founded in 2001 and beside a few demos and EPs only have managed to release one full length so far. “The Worst Form of Life” is album number two and like one could already have guessed based on the band name and the album title this is a quite brutal affair.

The riffing is pretty traditional for the most parts with straight forward chords and hypnotic and stoic chops that mainly remind of classic US bands like Morbid Angel. The drumming is very intense and technical giving the overall sound a quite chaotic feeling. While the basis riffs often stay within the main keynotes of the track the ferocious drumming leads to a certain chaotic vibe. This element is further enhanced by some sick lead guitar interludes that are sprinkled over each song and are especially impressive when used during one of the slower parts. Add the very aggressive and screaming/growling vocals that are perfectly fitting the instrumentation and you got the ingredients to create a very unsettling atmosphere.

It speaks for the band that even though the first spin might lead to the impression that the music is a bit messy consecutive listens will make the consumer realize that the songwriting is spot on. The complex hyper-speed parts are often interrupted by slow-down sections and rhythm changes making the next blast-beat attacks even more intense. There is nothing catchy on the surface but after listening to the tracks a few times some great hooks can be recognized. Themes and harmonies are repeated with smaller and bigger adoptions leading to a feeling of coherence over the whole album. There is a certain level of groove that is present throughout the running time of 37 minutes.

The production is very heavy mixing enough grittiness with the needed clarity. The drums have immense power and punch and the guitars have a very nice and crunchy tone. Nothing is buried in the mix so that all the crazy details are audible. “The Worst Form of Life” is a quite sophisticated listen but any open minded death metal aficionado willing to invest some time might feel awarded.