Bloodfields

Swedish Wormlight has gone through quite a few changes in its short existence. After releasing their second EP Bloodfields independently in 2015, Nordlyst left the band and brand new guitarist Tiamat Invictuz took up the duty of vocals as well from now on. Now they’ve signed with Black Lion Records for a re-release of Bloodfields and added two extra tracks with Tiamat’s vocals to give the fans an idea on how it’ll sound.

And that sound belongs to the category of the classic Swedish melodic black metal era. With the first song Wormlight you get a perfect picture of what they’re all about: a very raw and technical, yet melodic black metal taking you back to the heydays of the second wave of black metal. It may not be the most innovating kind of music, but it’s done on such a high level that it won’t bore you for a second. Wormlight starts off with a sinister intro and kicks in heavily with blast beats and vocals that aren’t fully black screams but rather a mix of death and black. The guitars add the melodic layer to it and lots of tremolo pickings get the pace to a higher level on regular occasions. Pitch Black Hatred has at first a rather groovy melody to it, reminding me somewhat of Satyricon to fully surrender to black metal with the chorus. Simply a great track that’ll get a lot of people banging their heads live!

The title track explodes in an ecstasy of screams, grunts, blast beats and fast tremolo picking that never seems to die down throughout the whole aggressive song. Yet it’s easy to find some melody in the background, especially when the bridge and solo infuse it with masterfully skilled guitar play. Lyrically Wormlight finds inspiration from the same dark pool of themes where most black metal bands get their ideas, though this record shows them dipping their toes in some Nordic mythology as well compared to their earlier anti-Christian themes.

As said earlier, the two bonus tracks are basically re-recordings of Wormlight and The Bloodfields with this time Invictuz on the vocals. Personally I might have prefered the earlier vocalist a little bit, but Invictuz definitely doesn’t lack in conviction and brutality. If I wouldn’t have heard the other versions, I might never have had any comments on this. The songs still contain the same amount of aggressiveness, rawness and melody and will be enjoyed by any black metal fan.

Wormlight didn’t reinvent anything with Bloodfields, but delivered a skillfully crafted piece of melodic black metal ranging from the Swedish coldness. With this re-release they also gave us a peek into the future with their new vocalist Invictuz, which sounds very promising to me. This is definitely an EP to check out when you’re into the second wave of black metal that came from Sweden back in the days. Also look out for their upcoming full release that should come within this year through Black Lion Records!

originally published on www.grimmgent.com

Carrying on from Unhallowed, Swedish black metallers Wormlight have charged forth after the name-change into the current moniker as the band continues to explore the same general sound within the new format. With a lineup overhaul that sees founder Deafeathered leave only to be replaced by Tiamat Invictuz who then took up guitar duties from a departing Nordlyst, the group’s new EP was originally self-released April 10, 2015 with a reissue December 3, 2016 on Black Lion Productions that sees bonus tracks with Invictuz on vocals added on.

Despite the name change, what’s on display here is still classic-era melodic black metal featuring all the aggression and intensity normally found within the scene. Full of galloping tremolo riffing that adds that characteristic darkened hellfire sound to the whole overall atmosphere, furious pounding drum work that is simply unrelenting and carrying through a truly explosive series of paces throughout here, the basic unrelenting charge offered here is quite the impressive burst of traditional black metal yet still manages to contain plenty of melodic accents. Churning away with a steady gallop throughout the rhythms by switching up the overall sound away from the raging tempos into a more straightforward attack that’s much more in league with the classic melodic black metal as the bands’ ability to switch-up these styles gives this a strong dynamic and variety that’s quite impressive and enjoyable. On the whole, this doesn’t leave much to dislike here as the band is quite adept at this style for the most part without really employing all that many flaws present.

As a fully explosive and generally appealing mixture of furious black metal rhythms with choice melodic accents interwoven throughout here and not really generating a lot of dislikes, this is quite the appealing package for those looking for quality melodic black metal or those appreciate high-quality extreme metal.