Woorms: Slake

Baton Rouge Noise Rock/Doom Metal outfit Woorms has been on a journey of self discovery over the past few years, developing their murky sound just slightly beyond the beaten path. Composing as a three piece comprised of Joey Carbo (vox, guitar, noise), John Robinson (bass), and Aaron Polk (drums), Woorms has finally granted their first full length record to the masses. Slake is a sumptuous recording, shooting for the moon with moody songs that drip dark riffs over ambient morsels.

The opener, “Corpse Corps”, detaches the listener with chanting, sampling, and sparse percussion, effectively setting up for the chunky and laid back single “Find a Meal Find a Bed Find a God”. This track would have been great at any position on the album, but allowing it to lead really gives a wide view of what Woorms has to offer. Akin to the excellent Big Business in their calculated brutality, the band oohs and aahs through this smoked out metal jam, forfeiting flair for a slow building climax.

“Veni Vidi Fucki” returns to the sampling well with an eerie monologue about death, the afterlife, and nihilism before launching into epic of rather concise proportions. It’s easy to tell the band is having a blast here with Polk throwing down some solid fills while Carbo and Robinson careen and carouse. “Stiff Upper Lisp” follows after, not really standing out but providing another big chunky tune with which to head band.

“Urine Trouble Now” is a bit more interesting with Carbo hollering and sneering madly while the group plods and throbs through a grooving maze. “Mouth is Word” changes the pace by upping the intensity and showcasing how well this trio can churn out dynamic and compelling tunes. During a colossal breakdown there’s a fantastic sampled monologue about satanism that fits so perfectly. Polk does a badass job filling the space between riffs, exploring his kit like horny teenagers getting to third base for the first time.

The wildly bizarre interlude “Our Lady of Perpetually Shitfaced” is much more than a filler track, providing a slowed down sample that rambles on about reality and its pretense that fits the mood of the album well. It is followed but the little ditty “Racist Kevin” that finds Woorms kicking out a roaring good time. Sadly it’s over just a little too soon.

“Rise Crispy” is another swift track that returns to the chunkier aspects of the bands sound. The tumultuous ending is intercut with a well placed sample that leads into the album closer “Sore Afraid”. Another track that could have been just about anywhere on the record, here I couldn’t help but be reminded of White Zombie as Carbo grunts and mires through some wicked riffing. Super fucking heavy.

Admittedly this is my kind of music, but Slake has enough variety and talented performances to satisfy the average rock listener. It’s the mood-building throughout the record that really drives home its significance. Nearly every track has something that draws you into its doom slathered orificial sanctum before expelling you with exorcismic ferocity. A gem of a record from a talented group.

Rating: 9.5/10

Leave a Reply