Worms of the Earth - The Nightside of Creation

Worms of the Earth is definitely a tricky little devil as founder and mastermind Dan Barrett (some of you may know him for his dark electro project Venal Flesh) is constantly twisting and turning WotE's output. Rhythmic noise, tribal industrial, dark ambient, ritual; all these genres and more are covered throughout his discography. With his recent release The Nightside Of Creation on Portuguese label Reaktivate, Barrett embraces the Qliphotic forces explored in previous albums through ritualistic, techno industrial music. 

While I can't say I was quite as ecstatic with the cover art as I was with previous releases the Barrett released (my favorite being that of Azal'ucel's cover; that just gives me the chills every time I look upon it). However, it does have a sort of alien feel to it with a pyramid felt up by a black and white filter being the center piece. As usual, the cover art doesn't ever effect my score, but I like to discuss it a little nonetheless. 

The intro song 'Veil Of The Abyss' would have you think you're about to wind up in either a horror struck dark ambient album or a black metal album that's slowly building up to insanely fast paced drums and gritty guitar work. However, as soon as 'Aleph' hits in, a brand new story is told. The track has a good, pounding techno rhythm but WotE's signature cinematic ambiance is present in the background. This could be the theme song for a ritualistic cult in a cyberpunk world. 

'Daleth' continues techno rhythms while also shredding up clashes of noise with each beat. Choral samples will ring forth as well as futher experimental music. 'Seeking Wisdom Once Lost' is a mid point for the album and comes off very middle eastern inspired with both its instrumentals and tribal drums. Though short in length, it was very peaceful in beautiful. I don't believe the samples within the song were necessary however, as the music was awe inspiring enough as it was. 

Belly dancers and snake charmers be warned as 'The Pyramid Beyond The Desert' will certainly make you want to move and get serpents easily hypnotized. It is my personal favorite song on the album and therefore makes it a highlight. The blend of middle eastern influences and techno rhythms are just extremely on spot. I'm not a musician, therefore it's hard to say exactly what's so right about the album, so I'll just stick with the fact that it's spine tingling and I love it. The last, original song on the album 'Talisman Of Wind' is straight up rhythmic noise with no filters in between. The static, grit and clangy industrial mechanics are all there. This is the kind of song that sounds like it was brewed in a steel factory and let loose on an innocent town - only to be devoured. 'Twas a fitting end to the album. 

The final track was a surprising remix done by A Thousand Details. I say surprising because I wasn't sure what I would expect someone to do with 'The Pyramid Beyond The Desert', but he was able to transform it into a track that embraced heavier bass ridden techno beats and the originality of Barrett's own creation. It's a solid, solid remix and I can't complain about it. 

Though techno has never been a standard in Worms of the Earth's career, I'd say Barrett has a pretty damned good idea as to how to use it well. The main driving energy not only derives from his very own spirituality, but also his past experience in making music driven forth by atmosphere and dark qualities. Nonetheless, this is a fun album and one best experienced in an area where dancing is both accepted and invited. Another solid entry in Worms of the Earth's career. 
Jun 25 2016