Into Nothingness

The quartet Wilt from East Westphalia / Germany releases with Into Nothingness their sophomore album on their own. Who knows the band already, knows what to expect, namely mangy death metal, which, however, compared to their debut Faces Of The Grave provides some surprises.

First of all, there is the very detailed cover, created by Juanjo Castellano Rosado, which already puts the listener in the correspondingly gloomy and macabre mood, and it is with corresponding feelings that we enter this dark entrance after climbing the slippery stairs. "Eintreten und Wohlfühlen" - "Enter and feel good" used to be a saying that hung on the front door of a pub near me. Whereby "Eintreten" in German definitely has two meanings. On one hand "enter", but on the other hand also "to kick in". I think that the guys understand the second meaning for this as the true meaning, because it is mercilessly punched from the outset. Although the title track, which is also the opener, still seems a bit restrained in places, as if you first look around and strategically think about what you can destroy everything, but at the latest with 'No Vital Signs' rolls a merciless death metal steamroller over the listener.

Stylistically, one remains with the well-tried HM-2 sound, which, however, on the album sounds much more differentiated and also more varied than on the debut. The song structures are much more sophisticated and do not let boredom arise at any time and also the sound sounds really fat and balanced. A groovy midtempo stomper like 'The Tank' definitely brings back memories of "...for Victory" or "Warmaster", because here just as powerful as comprehensible and absolutely stringent riffs dominate the song and the breaks here and there remind of this masterpiece. But it also gets really nasty and crawling. 'Dracunculus Medinensis' is a vicious doom roller with stretches of croaky vocals that let the song creep into the auditory canals and freeze the marrow in the bones. But Wilt can also be different, faster. 'The Blackest Of Soil' goes quite crudely in the direction of thrash metal and only the chorus tends in the direction of death metal. This song is by far the fastest and perhaps the most unusual of the album. My personal favorite, however, is 'The End Is Near', which impresses with a certain drama and driving guitars. Also the (although very short but also very cool) guitar solo in the middle ensures that this song immediately sticks.

One often poaches on Swedish terrain, so much sounds after the great role models, but also builds very casual ideas, so that one can not deny Wilt their independence. In addition, especially in the rhythm section a pinch of Bolt Thrower and that's a very good formula for the finest old school death metal. With Into Nothingness the guys have done everything right and created a great album. Now it remains to hope that they get the deserved attention for this.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

German old school death metal heavyweights Wilt are back with their second album.

The familiar chainsaw buzz of HM-2 grinding guitars springs into life with pummelling drums to give us an instantly classic feeling of early Swedish death metal. The mix sounds huge with the chunky rhythms hitting with hammer-like force while the guttural vocal spew is not lost to the monstrous sound. Blending grooves with full bore aggression, the drummers blasts are controlled and tight while the ripping guitars soar over the beats with the malicious growls. Wilt definitely have a very united feeling to their playing which moves as a singular juggernaut of morbidity to deliver total carnage. “Into Nothingness” starts off strong with a beastly consistency that hopefully remains as solid throughout.

Dismembering all in their path, the serpentine way in which each track lurks is truly grotesque. Reeking of the crypt, each movement is carefully and creepy while forceful and aggressive. Leads are used sparingly but often have a melancholy angle that gives a bit more dynamic to the ferocity that is constantly bombarding us. Aside from the obvious Dismember, Entombed, Carnage etc influences, there is some strong Bolt Thrower elements too (especially on “The Tank” and “The End Is Near”) which gives a war-like feeling to some pieces and enhances the overall crushing feel of the record. Totally pulverising, no weak links and a magnificently brutal album from start to end.

A malignant slab of rotten Swedish-style death metal, Wilt are back with a vengeance. Impressive musicianship, an undeniable passion for keeping the classic spirit alive and just a really hard-hitting record with grooves aplenty. If you like all things macabre, decaying and riff-focussed, this is one to decimate your ears with.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpcress.com