Review Summary: The Blackened Deathcore genre has soared to greater heights due to the latest contribution from up and coming band, Worm Shepherd.
What happens when you get Wolves in the Throne Room combined with Desolation of Eden era Chelsea Grin with just a hint of Infant Annihilator (i.e. Dickie Allen’s vocals)? You get Worm Shepherd’s 2022 sophomore effort, “Ritual Hymns” which dropped today on January 14th of 2022!
Where do I even start with this album? This is from start to finish one of the greatest albums in the Deathcore genre I’ve ever heard. Everything is here, atmosphere, chunky riffs, technicality, demonic vocals, variety, etc. Worm Shepherd have really grown into their own as songwriters just a year after releasing their debut. “The Raven’s Keep” is brooding and full of melancholy but it manages to still be insanely brutal. “Chalice ov Rebirth” has a phenomenal breakdown that shows off some of the best vocals I’ve heard from a band in quite some time. “Blood Kingdom” sounds like Infant Annihilator if they decided to try their hand at black metal. “A Bird in the Dusk” is one of my favorite tracks on this album. It‘s Black Metal style riffs will make you soar (much like “Transylvanian Hunger” Darkthrone would) but the Deathcore riffs bring your right back down and are absolutely monstrous. That’s what I love about this album, it manages to blend both Black Metal atmosphere and Deathcore technicality in a way where both elements don’t clash or fight for the limelight. It’s a healthy blend of both genres and I think that a lot of bands struggle with balancing that combo.
If you haven’t yet, I cannot stress to you enough to take an hour out of your day to listen to this album start to finish. This is an album worth your time. It’s an album that I think will stand the tests of time and it’s an album that I think will catapult Worm Shepherd to greater heights. I’ve been a fan of theirs since the first album and I can say with great confidence that these guys are the future of the Blackened Deathcore genre. Mark my words, these guys will be the face of the genre if they keep releasing albums like this.
I don’t really do this too often but…this album is truly captivating and is breathtakingly beautiful.
My grade for this album:
A+
Recommended Songs:
“The Raven’s Keep”
“Chalice ov Rebirth”
“A Bird in the Dusk”
“Winter Sun”
