Vermin Womb

Decline

BY Denise FalzonPublished Oct 26, 2016

9
On their debut LP, Decline, Colorado grind/death metal trio Vermin Womb — vocalist/guitarist Ethan Lee McCarthy (Primitive Man, Withered), bassist Zach Harlan and drummer JP Damron — follow up their 2014 EP, Permanence, with 10 mind-melting, visceral tracks.
 
Defying the genre barriers of grindcore and death metal, Decline is an onslaught of frantic, grimy extreme metal hostility, featuring moments of sludgy grooves, murky black metal tones and McCarthy's intense, terrifying vocals. "Entomb" opens the release with piercing feedback, an attack of fast, chaotic dissonance and raw, throat-shredding gutturals. The ferocity simmers briefly on the crushing "Industrialist" before returning in full force on "Despair" and carries on throughout "Present Day."
 
Tracks like "Pitiless" and "Inner World" are relentlessly punishing and nasty, while the slower pace of "Age of Neglect" and closer "Cancer" really showcase an overwhelmingly dark and despondent atmosphere. With equally bleak artwork to match (also created by McCarthy), Decline is jarring, suppressive and incredibly compelling.
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