Wormwood are a Swedish black metal band and this is their latest release.
This short, two-track EP follows on from 2024’s The Star, bringing us a another dose of Wormwood’s intelligently crafted progressive black metal. With a duration of 16 minutes, Å showcases Wormwood’s notable talents in an easy-to-digest format that nonetheless has plenty to explore at length.
The nine-minute Yra | Extas opens sharp and aggressive, with frozen blast beats accentuated by warm melodic colour. The track adds in hard rocking grooves and light introspective progressive textures, allowing the full song to develop into an expansive, expressive whole. It’s very much a song that feels like a journey, with Wormwood moving the listener from one soundscape to the next, connected by the rich mood-focused feel that the song carries. Yra | Extas ends on an emotive high, hopeful and bright, despite the darkness at its core.
Following this comes the eight-minute Purposeless Geometry. For the first four minutes or so it has an old-school 90s feel, with a post-punk edge that recalls something that a band like The Kovenant, Cradle of Filth, or Moonspell might have put together. After this, there’s calmness, before continuing in the vein of someone like Crippled Black Phoenix – relaxed, immersive, feeling-rich progressive rock, at least until the dark growls and screams return. The end reprises the start, and it’s all over.
Å is strong addition to Wormwood’s discography. It’s a bite size meal that is very tasty and satisfying. Don’t miss out on this little gem.
Wonderbox Metal 