I’ve been anticipating this one. Why? Well, Wormwitch’s last one, Heaven that Dwells Within, seemed to be praised by everyone. While I dug what they were doing, I thought it could be greatly improved in a few significant ways. I wasn’t a fan of the production. While it wasn’t offensive, I felt it didn’t fit the music well. Also, it was 45 minutes, but with everything sounding basically the same, it felt much longer. So, have they improved on this?

In short, yes. Firstly, it’s shorter, at a little over 30 minutes, and that includes a cover. Secondly, the production is a little dirtier, giving it almost a Skeletonwitch vibe, and being from the same hometown as those boys, I’m here for it.

“What about the songs,” you say… Well, we’ll get there. We’ll get there right now, in fact. The first official track is called “Canadian Denim Mountain Attack” and I have questions, but let’s save those for later. Let’s not save the fact that this is a banger. With its stomping riff, filthy, yet still glorious production, feral vocals, and stellar lead sections, Wormwitch have started this sumbitch off right.

They continue the momentum with track 3, “The Wolves of Ossory,” which doesn’t sound a lot different than the previous, but the guitars definitely have a more forward presence on this one. The plodding feel of the next track, “Hammer of the Underworld,” distinguishes it a bit from the previously mentioned ones, but it’s definitely not a curve ball. That “Oooh” right before the punky ending section is a nice touch, though.

Despite an interlude in the form of track 5, called “The Crimson Proof,” there’s not a lot of letting off the throttle here. I do really enjoy the “ALL RIGHT” at the beginning of “Abracadabra,” though. Not a cover, by the way. The latter half of the track is definitely more of the black side of black thrash, but with all the emotive expressions, you can definitely get the idea these guys love what they’re doing, and you can feel it.

The longest track on the album, which is track 7, called “Leering Crystal Effigies,” sounds like it’s about to go off the rails until it settles into a groove a little over a minute and a half in. Then, I must admit it sounds a little like Wolvhammer, another excellent band of Skeletonwitch frontman Adam Clemans. Not for long, though, as it goes into an almost Enslaved section. Of course, that doesn’t last long, either before going back into the black thrash. If you’re looking for your standout track, this is it!

The last track is a Metallica cover, specifically “Hit the Lights,” which is my favorite song ever written about energy conservation. Since it’s Metallica, it would be impossible to say “if you didn’t know this was a cover, you wouldn’t know…” Everybody’s heard it, and everybody knows. However, Wormwitch do certainly make it their own, throwing a layer of dirt and muck over it while paying homage to the original.

With that in mind, it’s probably pretty clear that I dig this. In fact, a significant portion more than their previous offering. If you’re even moderately into black thrash ala Skeletonwitch, All Hell, etc., give this a go. Now, onto those questions about the first track. Soooo, is there literally a mountain of denim in Canada? If so, does it attack people, or is it frequently subject to attacks? Or, are people attacking mountains in Canada with denim. It would take some large jeans to fit over those asses.

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