Wormhole - Almost Human (2023)^{Release ID: 47528}

The first two tracks off of Almost Human left me with a false sense of security as they certainly felt closer to a melodically driven form of death metal that I really did enjoy. That security was thwarted with "Spine Shatter High-Velocity Impact" as the slamming, brutal death metal that Wormhole really are and while it did leave a negative impression at first, as the album continued, I came to realize just how solid these songs were. Good ideas with some semblance of connectivity between the different sections. The pummeling death metal was intense and mixed very well. The vocals are the biggest turn off for me as they are performed with Cookie Monster aesthetic and leave me with a typical feeling of "well these clearly did not need to be here!". The album ends with a phenomenal return to the more melodic side with "The Grand Oscillation" and saves the record from feeling like a relentless assault of noise. The album runs remarkably short as well to its benefit. A great find and a welcome addition to my very small brutal death metal collection.

Best Songs: System Erase, Elysiism, Almost Human, The Grand Oscillation