(((O))) Review: Cryptworm – Infectious Pathological Waste

Cryptworm are the kind of band who give death metal the reputation it mostly doesn’t deserve outside of the metal community. All puked up riffs and Cookie Monster vocals spewing out songs with titles such as ‘Maimed and Gutted’, ‘Embedded With Parasitic Larvae’, and this reviewer’s favourite, particularly after a late night curry, ‘Gastrointestinal Seepage’. The kind of song titles which offer little outside of puerile video nasty horror. It even makes Cannibal Corpse seem on an an intellectual songwriting level as Radiohead or some other fancy pants band writing about oh so serious subjects.

But that’s the point isn’t it. Right down to its core, death metal is about the puerile, the video nasty horror, the unwillingness to even sound like you are playing (or actually care) about “real music”, whatever that may be. And that’s all part of the fun isn’t it, and it’s this that makes Cryptworm’s new album Infectious Pathological Waste such fun. Sounding as if it’s spewing forth out of the sewer in one big belch, it makes no claims to be anything other than the very essence of death metal. Dank, atmospheric, gritty and gruesome, it’s the soundtrack to a 70’s seedy horror movie gone wrong. Eight tracks of disgusting noise belching into your ears. It’s all rather beautiful.