A BRUTAL LOOK AT HELL'S HEROES VIII!
Embedded Files
You Worm-fiends know that we like nothing better than a big, loud metal fest packed with killer bands and sweaty fans! Well, this week we’re bringing you a blow-by-blow account of one of the very best fests in the U.S., HELL’S HEROES! Our buddy in Houston, COLONEL ANGUS, was there and he managed to cover EVERY SINGLE BAND at this four day event, including even the Pre-Party. And what a line-up! Bands raged from German legends UDO and DORO to the thrashy likes of HELLBUTCHER and ONSLAUGHT, and everything in between. The review is packed with Angus’ great photos, too. You won’t find a better and more thorough review of HELL’S HEROES than right HERE!
I mentioned that we’re working on several big time interviews. Well, I can tell you that MERCYFUL MIKE has snagged a real ripper with the busiest man in metal, MATT HARVEY and it’s mostly in connection with the amazing DEATH tribute band LEFT TO DIE! Stay tuned because more big news is coming!
Here’s another edition of the Torture Chamber to knock your head right off your pencil neck!
NUNSLAUGHTER “Satanic Chaos Legions”
MAKE “Exegesis At The End Of Time”
KHEMMIS “Khemmis”
DEAD VOID “Cranial Devastation”
ENDSEEKER “Coffin Born”
MOONLIGHT HAZE “Interstellar Madness”
CAN YOU SURVIVE A VISIT FROM MAD ALEISTER?
The great metal band EXCITER looks to have finally bitten the dust, which is sad, but from the ashes arises some great new bands. A few weeks back, I talked to John Ricci’s new project POWERRAGE but this time it’s THERON MOORE’S turn to speak to MAD ALEISTER, which features long-time EXCITER bassist ALLEN JOHNSON as well as members of JOE THRASHER and INFRARED! They are about to drop a devastating debut on the metal public and Wormwood is here with an interview about what to expect! Get the lowdown on MAD ALEISTER right HERE!
Movie madness is coming to Wormwood! Expect a new BURN PIT from Bombastic BOB BURNER featuring looks at 3 crazy cult films…”DEMONWARP”, “THE GREAT CHASE” and “MARLEY’S REVENGE”! Plus my own expose on “THE HYPNOTIC EYE” will soon be here!
Our Torture Chambers are always packed with wild music reviews, but this one is even more stuffed than usual!
ARMORED SAINT “Emotion Factory Reset”
DEAFKIDS “Cicatrizes Do Futuro”
FROZEN SOUL “No Place Of Warmth”
ETERNAL EVIL “Forever Feared”
SUNN 0))) “Sunn 0)))”
EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY “Rise Of the Mutated”
HELL COMES TO WORMWOOD WITH THE GODLESS IV TOUR!
Wormwood is unfortunately unable to take you on a guided tour of hell, but we can provide the next best thing: a concert tour featuring four of the most blasphemous metal bands in the world! That’s exactly what the GODLESS IV tour provided, with a package boasting the likes of BEHEMOTH, DEICIDE, ROTTING CHRIST and IMMOLATION! More fun than an open casket funeral! DR. ABNER MALITY recently caught the tour when it stopped at the Rave in Milwaukee and he’s got the lowdown on the event HERE! Including plenty of exclusive photos! Grab your crucifix and come along!
Speaking of huge concert events, we finally got COLONEL ANGUS’ report on Houston’s mighty HELL’S HEROES Fest, featuring tons of metal bands from around the planet! That will be coming up very shortly! We are also working on some of the biggest interviews to ever appear here at Wormwood Laboratories!
This week’s Torture Chamber is a real bonanza, with VENOM, WITCH RIPPER and Mr. TEDDY HORSE!
WITCH RIPPER “Through The Hourglass”
VENOM “Into Oblivion”
WITCHING HOUR “Descending…Where Time Has Ceased To Exist”
MIDNIGHT RIDER “Limited Infinity”
DITHEIST “Cosmic Liar”
TEDDY HORSE “BadgersWex”
COPROLITH “Putrescence”
LUNGBURNER “Dogma”
ZANJEER “Seher-e-Maqhoor”
SURA’SURA “Warfare Metal”
THE FURY OF MELECHESH IS LET LOOSE!
We let a rampaging genie out of the bottle this week and it’s name is MELECHESH! Well, more properly, it is ASHMEDI, the long time frontman of this Mesopotamian metal whirlwind, who have spent more than 30 years combining classic pre-Egyptian vibes with the thrashiest of metal. After 11 years wandering in the desert, MELECHESH have returned with a new EP “Sentinels of Shamash” and more is on the way! Ashmedi is one of the more intelligent and articulate subjects we have talked to here, which makes this a very entertaining interview. See for yourself HERE!
This week’s Torture Chamber features a band with a name longer than this sentence as well as the final farewell from SEPULTURA!
ONCHOCERCIASIS ESOPHAGOGASTRODUODENSCOPY “Fugue Gnawed From The Scabbed God’s Cerebrum”
SEPULTURA “The Cloud of Unknowing”
GODSTICKS “VOiD”
ERDVE “Epigramma”
WARSENAL “Endless Beginnings…”
CARBON TOMB “A Passage To The Neutron Star”
TWO NEW HORROR REVIEWS TO MELT YOUR MIND!
We got a double dose of freaky fright flicks for you humanoids to check out this week, courtesy of the one and only DARK STARR! He first takes a look at 2007's "THE CELLAR DOOR", which seems on the surface to be another "kidnapped woman" flick, but which pulls some real clever twists on the formula. Who's really in charge? Find out HERE! Then things get REALLY weird as we examine "COVEN OF THE BLACK CUBE", a nasty tidbit about a gathering of witches getting revenge on the men who abused them. Add in some underground metal bands and you've got a real cult item! Read all about it HERE!
Lots of things swirling in the Wormwood pot! I'll spill the beans as things become clearer!
An extra size and extra weird edition of the Torture Chamber is now served up for your delectation!
NUCLEAR TOMB "Epoch Inhumane"
NERVOSA "Slave Machine"
GUS G. "Steel Burner"
ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE “The Earth Is Breathing Beneath Me”
RED32 “Cryogenic Dreams”
PHARMACIST “Vertebrae After Vertebrae”
THE OLDEST HOUSE “The Art of Abysswalking”
ANOTHER DEMON “As Above, So Below”
SCONFITTA “Essere Nessuno”
THRASH OF THE TITANS HITS HOUSTON HARD!
Our man in Houston, the Concrete Cowboy himself, COLONEL ANGUS has got his greasy little fingers all over any metal show of interest in that area. Recently, he was lucky enough to see the Houston edition of the THRASH OF THE TITANS tour, which featured three legends of the genre in action…TESTAMENT, OVERKILL and DESTRUCTION! That lineup will make any thrasher’s mouth water. Well, he covered it all and got some awesome photos to boot. You can see what I mean HERE!
Angus will also soon have a report of this year’s HELL’S HEROES for us as well. And Yours Truly will be covering the Milwaukee stop of the GODLESS IV tour with BEHEMOTH, DEICIDE, ROTTING CHRIST and IMMOLATION. Oh yeah, and THERON MOORE tells me he’s grabbed an interview with new band MAD ALEISTER, which features ex-EXCITER members. So lots going on here…
The Torture Chamber this week starts hot with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and keeps the heat coming!
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY “Good God/Baad Man”
FLESHCRAWL “Epitome Of Carnage”
AZIOLA CRY “Dysphoria Ritual”
TELOMYRAS “Duskfall”
BEWITCHED “Diabolical Death Mass”
CANVAS OF SILENCE “As The World Tree Fell”
WE GET BLITZED BY TAILGUNNER!
Right now, the United Kingdom is going through its second Blitz…but this time, it’s a “Midnight Blitz”, courtesy of London’s heavy metal hellions TAILGUNNER! And Dr. Mality is here to tell you all about it with the help of bass player TOM HEWSON! These guys are attracting a ton of attention with their classic metal attack. Tom tells us all about the band’s rapid rise, its lonely position as standard bearer of British metal and their hopes for the future. Get the intel right HERE!
PRO-PAIN, one of the longest lasting and most outspoken hardcore bands, is on their way back to Wormwood after many years! The Doc has managed to swing a chat with GARY MESKIL, who’s been with the band since Day One. We should also have a new Burn Pit from BOB BURNER soon and lots more cool stuff to reveal!
Quite an odd and interesting crew is on tap with this week’s Torture Chamber!
NEUROSIS “An Undying Love For The Burning World”
SACRIVERSUM “Before the Birth Of Light”
RESTLESS SPIRIT “Restless Spirit”
LANTLOS “Nowhere In Between Forever”
IGNOBLETH “Manor Of Primitive Anticreation”
SOEN “Reliance”
NECROFIER BRINGS OBLIVION TO WORMWOOD!
This week, we wind up in Hell or Texas or maybe both because they are one and the same, as THERON MOORE has a chat with the hellish NECROFIER, who are rapidly moving up the black metal ladder in America. He speaks with CHRISTIAN LARSON, who is not only a guiding force for NECROFIER but also helps put together the excellent HELL’S HEROES festival in Houston and is a member in NIGHT COBRA and TERROR CORPSE as well. How does one guy handle this work load? Does Old Nick lend a hand? Find out the answer HERE!
We continue to be busier than a Southern Baptist preacher in a whorehouse here at Wormwood! The new Wormwood Files will look at the mystery beast of the Amazon, the monstrous MAPINGUARI. We should have a couple of really huge interview announcements before too long as well as some new cult film coverage to melt your brain. The Chronicles march on!
The latest Torture Chamber bows at the altar of METAL CHURCH, plus lots more!
METAL CHURCH “Dead To Rights”
PRO-PAIN “Stone Cold Anger”
MELTING ROT “Infatuation With Premeditation”
LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR “I Hail I”
GORRCH “Stillamentum”
NIGHT SPECTRE “Night Spectre”
VOIVOD TOUCHES DOWN AT THE CRUCIBLE CLUB!
One encounters greatness and innovation seldom in these times, but here at Wormwood Laboratories, we seek out both. That’s what led DR. MALITY to pay a visit to Madison’s Crucible Club, where Canada’s weird and wonderful VOIVOD made an appearance recently. This band has always been on the ragged edge of the future and it was a real privilege to see them in this club environment. Along for the ride were Virginia’s rough and rugged BAT as well as local up and comers FLYING FUZZ. Check out the Doc’s report HERE…including exclusive photos!
And we’ve got even more cool stuff to announce. THERON MOORE tells me he’s snagged a chat with one of America’s most outstanding black metal bands, NECROFIER, and their master mind CHRISTIAN LARSON…who also happens to be the guiding force behind the HELL’S HEROES Metalfest (which you’ll soon see covered here as well). And DARK STARR has some cutting edge Philm Phreaks reviews for us…the 2007 shocker “THE CELLAR DOOR” and the super low budget heavy metal horror “COVEN OF THE BLACK CUBE”. I should have even more new to lay on you humanoids next time!
A big edition of the Torture Chamber this week, with some pretty brutal bands!
IMMOLATION “Descent”
FUNEBRARUM “Beckoning The Void of Eternal Silence”
THE QUILL “Master of the Skies”
DESOLUS “Dwellers Of The Twilight Void”
NEQUIENT “Avarice”
VOID OF SLEEP “The Abyss Into Which We All Have To Stare”
RESURRECTED “Perpetual”
GODSNAKE “Inhale The Noise”
BATTLEGRAVE “Enslavement”
RELIC “Crown Of Flies”
MAKE WAY FOR THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION!
This week, we welcome MERCYFUL MIKE into Wormwood’s pantheon of interviewers! For his first chat, he’s gone all the way to Australia and beyond to speak to THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION and their mischievous bassist, INVERTED CRUCIFOX! If you’ve never heard these guys before, take some time and check out their outrageously theatrical mix of hard rock, blues, pop and metal…I’ll wait! Back so soon? Good, check out what Mike and The Fox had to say right HERE!
I hear through the grapevine that THERON MOORE has gotten an interview with Milwaukee’s most brutal band, PIG’S BLOOD! They’ll be squealing in torment in a few weeks! We’ve also got lots of live reviews on tap, including my visit to the “Godless IV” tour featuring BEHEMOTH, DEICIDE, ROTTING CHRIST and IMMOLATION. I might also be checking out a most unusual show at the local pub…but more on that later!
Another wide-ranging edition of The Torture Chamber now awaits your visit…
POWER PALADIN “Beyond The Reach Of Enchantment”
VOMITORY “In Death Throes”
SLAGMAUR “Hulder’s Ritual”
CHARIOTS OVERDRIVE “The End Of Antiquity”
OLDOWAN GASH “1000 Dreams Of War”
PALMAR DE TROYA “III”
UNLEASH THE BEAST WITH POWERRAGE!
The hits keep coming hard and fast here at Wormwood Laboratories! Got some big news coming up in a bit, but for now, let’s venture into the raging world of new Canadian band POWERRAGE! Did I say new? Well, they are, but their members should be well known to any fan of classic thrash and power metal. They include JOHN RICCI and JACQUES BELANGER of EXCITER fame as well as TODD PILLON of WITCHKILLER and drummer LUCAS DERRY. John and Jacques were kind enough to talk to me about the path to POWERRAGE, their very different views on leaving EXCITER and the pummeling new album “Beast”. Get ready to RAGE right HERE!
I said I had some big news and I wasn’t kidding! I got 2 more interviews with major names in the metal underground to share with you humanoids! First off, I snagged England’s bright new metal hopes TAILGUNNER, who are red hot right now. And then I talked to the giants of Mesopotamian metal madness, MELECHESH, whom I am an unabashed huge fan of. So add those to a list that includes NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION, LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR and more on the way!
Also got some real heavy hitters in this week’s Torture Chamber!
CRIMSON GLORY “Chasing The Hydra”
EXODUS “Goliath”
ROB ZOMBIE “The Great Satan”
KERRIGAN “Wayfarer”
WINTERFYLLETH “The Unyielding Season”
PIG'S BLOOD "Destroying The Spirit"
GOATPSALM “Beneath”
SONS OF ETERNITY “Human Beast”
DEFECT DESIGNER “Depressants”
GET YOURSELF A DOSE OF KATE'S ACID!
Over the years, we’ve talked to a lot of legendary metal figures but the female of the species has not often been among them. That changes this week as DR. MALITY speaks to KATE DE LOMBAERT from Belgium’s first speed metal band, ACID! Back in the day, Kate was one of the very few female voices in true heavy metal. Now, 40 years after the original band broke up, she’s back with KATE’S ACID and it’s a privilege to speak to her. What was it like being a pioneer in those wild n’ woolly days? What was it like bringing it all back after decades? Click HERE and get yer dose of ACID!
Lots more news! I also got an interview with Chicago’s ferocious mythological metal maniacs LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR, back from the Land of the Dead after a long layoff! Look for that here! And I’ve also decided to do a write-up on the sleazy and unforgettable grindhouse classic “THE HYPNOTIC EYE” from 1960! More cool stuff coming down the pike!
Got a loaded and very heavy helping of the Torture Chamber for you this week!
MONSTROSITY “Screams From Beneath The Surface”
POWERRAGE “Beast”
CRUEL FORCE “Haneda”
TULUS “Morbid Desires”
GRAVEMASS “This Is The Way”
FIRMAMENT “For Centuries Alive”
RIDE INTO BATTLE WITH GREYHAWK!
'Tis time to venture forth into fantastic realms with GREYHAWK as your guide! This Seattle band is one of the rising traditional metal/power metal bands in the US and have proven it with their latest album “Warriors Of Greyhawk”. So it came to pass that BOB BURNER took up sword, shield and a box of pizza and ventured into the Forbidden Forest to speak to bass player DARIN WALL about the band, the new album and much else besides. 'Twas a light-hearted yet revealing chat which you can sample HERE!
Lots of cool stuff happening in these parts! We will soon have our first interview from MERCYFUL MIKE, who spoke to the way out and wonderful NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION from Australia (and beyond Orion!). That will be coming up soon, along with COLONEL ANGUS’ live report from the HELL”S HEROES fest in Houston and my own coverage of the VOIVOD/BAT/FLYING FUZZ show in Madison. Even more is in the pipe!
An extra big and extra weird Torture Chamber is on tap this week!
TARDIGRADE INFERNO “Hush”
VREID “The Skies Turn Black”
L. A. GUNS “Leopard Skin”
GUTVOID “Liminal Shrines”
EVERMORE “Mournbraid”
WRANG “Verwording”
CARPENTER BRUT “Leather Temple”
TOXIKULL “Turbulence”
BRAS D’HONNEUR “Hate Speech”
WORMWOOD GETS THE LION'S SHARE!
It's been a long dry spell for Swedish metal mongers LION'S SHARE but they've roared back to life in 2026 with their heaviest album ever! And who else but COLONEL ANGUS is better to talk to them for Wormwood? He speaks to guitarist LARS CHRISS, who proves to be a very articulate fellow that gives very detailed answers regarding the reasons for the band’s long absence, the story behind the new album “Inferno” and adapting to the massive changes in the music business since LION’S SHARE’s start in the 1980’s. It’s a pretty revealing chat that you can check out HERE!
As always, we got a lot of irons in the fire here and in the coming weeks, you should find out exactly what they are, so stay tuned!
This week’s Torture Chamber features a number of bands with strange one word names!
AEON GODS “The Rebirth of Light”
SYLOSIS “The New Flesh”
STATE OF ILLUSION “Pluto’s Ghost”
LOMOR “Sabouk Rouge”
MORDEO “Mordeo”
LEAD INJECTOR “Witching Attack”
A DIVE INTO THE WILD WORLD OF SHAW BROTHERS' HORROR!
I’ll bet you humanoids remember watching “Kung Fu Theater” back in the 80’s, when the chop socky epics of Hong Kong’s legendary Shaw Brothers Studios filled the airwaves with violence. Did you know that Shaw Brothers also did plenty of horror films as well? And that they were as batshit crazy as anything ever filmed? BOB BURNER knows and he’s here to tell us all about it in the latest “Burn Pit”, which looks at four nutty horrors from the Beastly East: “HEX”, “SEEDING OF A GHOST”, “THE OILY MANIAC” and “BATTLE WIZARD”! Experience all the craziness HERE!
We’re also getting ready for concert season around here! Our Concrete Cowboy from Houston, COLONEL ANGUS, will have a major report from this year’s version of HELL’S HEROES, featuring LOUDNESS, WARLOCK, TANKARD and a ton more. DR. MALITY will have the dirt on the legendary VOI VOD playing up in Madison, WI as well. And THERON MOORE has grabbed an interview with ex-EXCITER members JOHN RICCI and JACQUES BELANGER, who are involved in a killer new band, POWERRAGE!
And now for your regularly scheduled Torture Chamber!
THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION “Mondo Tomorrow”
MELECHESH “Sentinels of Shamash”
URNE “Setting Fire To The Sky”
AZKETEM “Amid”
CRYPTIC SHIFT “Overspace and Supertime”
STAINLESS “Lady of Lust and Steel”
MEET MARYLAND'S MAVERICK, DON DOHLER!
We’re overdue for a trip to the world of weird cinema, so this week I’m glad to say we’ve got one of the best articles we’ve ever posted in Philm Phreaks. It’s my in-depth look at the films and career of Baltimore’s best bad boy, DON DOHLER! Making it even better, I’ve included an exclusive interview with Don’s son, GREG DOHLER, who has a lot of personal anecdotes about his maverick dad, who helmed such low budget classics as “FIEND” and “NIGHTBEAST”! We also talk about Don’s interest in underground comix and the legendary FX mag “Cinemagic” that he started. Get the down low on the Dohlers HERE!
Tons of hot news fresh outta Wormwood Labs this week! BOB BURNER has gotten us his first real interview…it’s with the melodic metal masters GREYHAWK who are causing a big stir in traditional metal circles. Speaking of classic metal, I’ve got one with the infamous KATE from classic Euro speed metal freaks ACID! After many years, the band is back under the name of KATE’S ACID. We are just getting started for 2026, so hang on, it will be a wild ride!
When it comes to wild, nothing beats the Wormwood Torture Chamber!
LION’S SHARE “Inferno”
KATE’S ACID “Hellbender”
TERATOMA “Longing Veracity”
NO/MAS “No Peace”
TOTAL MANIAC “Love Overdrive”
VANISHMENT “And Now We Die”
GET IN SHAPE WITH VITAMIN X!
Time for a prescription direct from Wormwood Laboratories! You know that we're always concerned about the health of our victi...er, readers. Well, DR. MALITY says there's nothing better to get your motor running than a huge dose of VITAMIN X! Yes sir, thrashing your brains out to this long running Dutch crossover band has proven to be beneficial in almost every case. The Doc confirmed this during his recent interview with bassist ALEX KOUTSMAN, who filled us in on the doings of these gung-ho straight edgers. You can find out for yourself how healthy VITAMIN X can be by clicking HERE!
LOTS of great news on the way! COLONEL ANGUS recently talked to guitarist LARS CHRISS from killer Euro metal band LION'S SHARE and we will have the results here! THERON MOORE has also been talking to people who really matter and we may have some interviews soon from new guys BOB BURNER and MERCYFUL MIKE! Plus a new Wormwood Files as well!
The Torture Chamber boasts diabolical black metal, a dose of pure British steel and some classic Swedish hard rock...amongst others!
NECROFIER "Transcend Into Oblivion"
TAILGUNNER "Midnight Blitz"
NEMOROUS "What Remains When Hope Has Failed"
DIVINE CHAOS "Hate Reactor"
TREAT "The Wild Card"
DWELLNOUGHT “Monument of Ephemerality”
WORMWOOD'S BEST OF 2025 LISTS ARE HERE!
Yes, humanoids, it’s that wonderful time of the year when all the goons here at Wormwood get to list their Top 10 releases for the previous 12 months. This year sees the addition of MERCYFUL MIKE and BOB BURNER to the crew, as well as the usual gang of degenerates.
As a teaser, I now present each writer’s #1 pick for the year…click HERE to see the lists in all their glory!
DARK STARR GHOST “Skeleta”
DR. ABNER MALITY ARKHAIIK “Uihtis”
MERCYFUL MIKE CORONER “Dissonance Theory”
COLONEL ANGUS A-Z “A2Z2”
BOB BURNER HELLOWEEN “Giants And Monsters”
LORD RANDALL GORLEBEN “Menetekel”
THERON MOORE THE RODS “Wild Dogs Unchained”
THOR AGNOSTIC FRONT “Echoes In Eternity”
IRON SHEIK PETER CRISS “Peter Criss”
OCTOPI MILLS FINNR’S CANE “Finnr’s Cane”
If you enjoy classic chop socky and whacky foreign horror, you won’t want to miss the next edition of BOB’S BURN PIT! Bob has dug up four classic horrors from the infamous SHAW BROTHERS to put under the microscope. That will be here soon. More major announcements coming soon!
And if the “Best Of” lists aren’t enough for you, here’s the new Torture Chamber, packed with gluten-free lo cal ass-kickery!
ROTTEN SOUND “Mass Extinction” EP
TEMPLE OF VOID “The Crawl”
KREATOR “Krushers of the World”
JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS “Inexorable Opposites”
CEMETERY REIGN “Confined In Time”
BLACK SWAN “Paralyzed”
TENEBRO “Una Lama D’Argento”
VOID PARADIGM “Tout Ira Mieux Sans Nous”
GRAVEWITCH “Gravewitch”
TIME TO GET BLOWN AWAY BY CYCLONE!
The forecast calls for catastrophic winds and brutal destruction here at Wormwood, as CYCLONE has arrived at last! The cult Belgian thrashers are back with a vengeance after being out of commission for almost 35 years! They were one of Europe's great thrash metal bands back in the 80's but bad luck kept them from achieving all they could have. Lead singer GUIDO GEVELS has been there for all of it and DR. MALITY was lucky enough to speak to him about the wild past, current present and promising future of CYCLONE! If you can take massive damage, read all about it HERE!
Next week should see Wormwood's famous TOP 10 LISTS OF 2025 post here, featuring all your favorite idiots ...er, writers and their picks! Also, we are not done with crazed thrash in these pages, as infamous Dutch thrashpunks VITAMIN X are also on their way here! Look for a steady stream of interesting interviews, features and reports from here on out!
And now the moment you've all been waiting for...this week's Torture Chamber!
TOTAL ANNIHILATION “Mountains of Madness”
REDIVIDER “Sounds of Malice”
DEATH DEALER “Reign Of Steel”
WRECK-DEFY “Dissecting The Leech”
MEGA COLOSSUS “Watch Out!”
FOSSILIZATION “Advent Of Wounds”
DARK STARR REVIEWS 2 WILDLY DIFFERENT HORROR FILMS!
You probably couldn't find two more different films that could still fall under the same genre heading than what DARK STARR is reviewing for us this week! First, he looks at a terrifying found footage film from 2014, "THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN", which he reckons is one of the most frightening movies he's ever seen...yes, even more than "THE EMOJI MOVIE"! You can find that review HERE! Then he does a 180 and looks at a light-hearted (yet gory) spoof of ED WOOD's films known as "VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM SPACE"! This one comes complete with pie plate UFO's, to boot. Read that one HERE!
Many different plans are in play at Wormwood Laboratories and it could result in maybe the most exciting year we've ever had! I hate to keep you humanoids in suspense, but I can't say more until everything is in place. It is more than worth waiting for!
This week's Torture Chamber features MEGADETH's last album, the return of CYCLONE and plenty more!
MEGADETH "Megadeth"
CYCLONE "Known Unto God"
PHASMA "Purgatory"
GAVIAL "Thanks, I Hate It"
VELMORTH "Feral Dominion"
GREYHAWK "Warriors Of Greyhawk"
WE OPEN THE FORBIDDEN PAGES OF NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS!
As if last week's excruciating visit to the dungeon of ANTAGONIZOR wasn't enough, this week I drove out to a rundown cabin in the middle of the woods to talk to the diabolical MICHAEL BALA of Chicago's rising death fiends NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS! A band obsessed with horror, zombies and forbidden books, they've been blitzing the underground with plenty of thrash-injected death metal! Find out about their horror influences, their fascination with shreddy guitar maestros and their plans for supernatural domination right HERE!
We're all working on some really cool stuff here at the Labs, with BOB BURNER and COLONEL ANGUS especially on the case. We should be spilling the beans on everything pretty soon!
From avant-garde doom to black metal insanity and a symphonic delight, this week’s Torture Chamber has you covered!
BELL WITCH & AERIAL RUIN “The Stygian Bough, Volume 2”
GRAVETAKER “Sheer Lunacy”
BIZARREKULT “Alt Som Finnes”
BLOODRED “Colours Of Pain”
NOIRSUAIRE “The Dragging Poison”
PHENDRANA “Cathexis”
ENTER THE DARK DUNGEON OF ANTAGONIZÖR!
DR. MALITY returns in a beaten and brutalized state from the Torture Dungeon of Florida's diabolical ANTAGONIZÖR, where he survived an interview with demonic dominatrix SARAH! Wow, this gal is WIRED TO THE MAX! When she's not punishing her helpless Drum Slave MYKEL or invoking Satan, she's tearing up the stage with punky evil speed metal, accompanied by fellow vixen TZU WEI! Sarah reveals many secrets of the band including torture techniques for the Drum Slave, what her Christian mom thinks of her antics and her battles against fascist idelology. This is one of the wildest interviews ever to appear at Wormwood and Doc is still recovering from it. Check it out HERE!
Wormwood Top 10 lists are complete and on the way! Should be up in a few weeks. Also coming to Wormwood: Doc's interview with venerable Belgian thrash masters CYCLONE and their lead singer GUIDO GEVELS! Plus DARK STARR will have some movie reviews of cult films "THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN" and "VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM SPACE"! Aieee, there's plenty of fiendish fun ahead!
And here's this week's Torture Chamber, chock full of magic and mayhem!
KALEIDOBOLT "Karakuchi"
VITAMIN X "Ride The Apocalypse"
YELLOW EYES "Confusion Gate"
BURNING DEATH "Burning Death"
LIGATION "After Gods"
TZEVAOT “The Hermetic Way”
KAOSOPHIA "Beyond The Black Horizon"
OVERTOUN "Death Drive Anthropology"
TERROR CORPSE "Ash Eclipses Flesh"
QUEENSRYCHE AND ACCEPT TEAM UP IN HOUSTON!
If it's happenin' in Houston, you know our concrete cowboy COLONEL ANGUS will be on the case! Not long ago, he caught two of metal's all time best in action there and he's here to tell us about it! The show took place at the House of Blues and seemed to be a match made in metallic heaven! We've got plenty of awesome photos like the one above to accompany his write-up, which you can check out HERE!
More news for you Worm-fiends! You already know DR. MALITY is working on an article about Maryland's low budget film legend DON DOHLER. Well, we can tell you now that he got an interview with Don's son GREG DOHLER to really get the inside dope on this DIY movie maestro! Also, all the entries for Wormwood's BEST OF 2025 are now in, so that will be coming up soon. And expect some big time interview news soon!
Here's one of the wildest and woolliest Torture Chambers we've had in a while!
GLUECIFER "Same Drug, New High"
EXIMPERITUS “Meritoriousness of Equanimity”
SKULL & CROSSBONES “Time”
QRIXKUOR “The Womb of the World”
THE RETICENT “please”
KARLOFF “Revered By Death”
AKTOR TAKES THE STAGE AT WORMWOOD!
This week, we're pleased to welcome one of hard rock/heavy metal's busiest creators to the Chronicles, PROFESSOR CHRIS BLACK! COLONEL ANGUS does the honors of talking to this multi-talented fellow, mostly in connection with his enigmatic band, AKTOR! This hard to define act dives deep into a fictional Nordic universe full of detectives, crooks and mysterious people. What's the story behind the story? The always engaging Prof. tells us all about it HERE!
Things are starting to pick up around here. Dr. Mality went to a forbidden cabin deep in the woods to grab an interview with Chicago's new masters of gory death-thrash, NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS! Expect to read the result here soon. The Doc is also trying to talk to one of Europe's most venerable crossover thrash bands...all will be revealed soon! Plus a lot more is on our plate…
This week's Torture Chamber ranges from a filthy New York beatdown to magnificent neoclassical shred and everything in between!
BIOHAZARD "Divided We Fall"
AEPHANEMER "Utopie"
DARKTRIBE "Forgotten Reveries"
ECTOVOID "In Unreality's Coffin"
AEROSTATION "Rethink"
DEATH OBVIOUS "Death Obvious"
WORMWOOD ENTERS 2026, OUR 28TH YEAR!
It seems like 2025 was the shortest year ever, but here we are already at 2026, ready to begin our 28th year of insanity. We're still getting over New Year's festivities so this week's updates will be brief. But there's already a lot of new stuff on the way. I can confirm grabbing one of my wildest interviews ever with the wild and sadistic SARAH from the rising speed/black metal outfit ANTAGONIZOR! Folks, you'll have to read this one to see how over the top this bunch are! Next week will see us posting COLONEL ANGUS' interview with PROFESSOR BLACK from AKTOR (among many others!) and we'll also have his live review of QUEENSRYCHE and ACCEPT coming up soon. And of course we will have the world famous Wormwood TOP 10 lists for 2025! Even more on the way, but you can see we are pretty busy here!
This week we do have some new Torture Chamber reviews for you...and this bunch is even heavier than usual!
INTERNAL BLEEDING "Settle All Scores"
BULLET "Kickstarter"
PERDITION TEMPLE "Malign Apotheosis"
OLDE OUTLIER "From Shallow Lives To Shallow Graves"
RED HOT SHAME "You Can't Make Me"
BYGONE "Bygone"
ENJOY CHRISTMAS IN OUR VERY OWN TORTURE CHAMBER!
After a year full of debauchery and mayhem, we'll be taking a bit of a break over the Yuletide holidays here at Wormwood Laboratories. Believe me, it can be very strenuous thinking up new scientific abominations and insults to Nature. However, we are not totally in a food-induced coma...we still have an edition of our world famous Torture Chamber for you to immerse yourself in. Before I whip out the victims, I wanted to let you know that our boy COLONEL ANGUS has been especially busy at the end of the year. In addition to conducting an interview with the curious band AKTOR , he will be a giving a live review of a recent QUEENSRYCHE/ACCEPT show in Houston as well. Many other things are in the pipe!
Without further hoodoo, here's the last Torture Chamber of 2025!
IRON VOID/ ORODRUIN "Altar Of Worship" Split
GASKET "Gasket"
FROZEN LAND "Icemelter"
NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS "Zombie Blood Nightmare"
FAUN "Hex"
VOIDCEREMONY "Abditum"
MEZZIN' AROUND WITH MEZZROW!
This week, DR. MALITY gets to speak to some true veterans of the Swedish metal scene, the mighty MEZZROW! These thrashers have been banging heads since the earliest days of the extreme music scene and they are arguably better in 2025 than back in the 80's! We speak to singer UFFE PETTERSSON about the long and winding road of MEZZROW as well as their scorching new album, "Embrace The Awakening".Past, present and future collide HERE for all to read!
Just a few notes. The next couple of weeks will find us in the Yuletide season and so things will be a bit slower than usual here. We still should have some Torture Chamber updates, but the real fun will wait for the new year. I can confirm that COLONEL ANGUS has an interview with hard to describe "spy metal" band AKTOR and their mercurial frontman, PROF. CHRIS BLACK. And I will be doing a new Philm Phreaks article about maverick Maryland film-maker DON DOHLER and his numerous creations!
Our Torture Chamber this week covers an awful lot of ground…
MAUSOLEUM GATE "Space, Rituals, and Magick"
COLD STEEL "Discipline and Punish"
PROFANE ELEGY "Herezjarcha"
TRIBAL GAZE "Inveighing Brilliance"
DARVAZA "We Are Him"
ATOMIC ROOSTER "Circle The Sun"
BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM "Seven Bloodied Ramparts"
MY DARKEST HATE "Rust And Bones"
STRUCK A NERVE "Struck A Nerve"
DARE TO ENTER THE DEPTHS OF THE TSARICHINA PIT!
Once again it's time to dive deep into an ocean of mystery with a new edition of THE WORMWOOD FILES! This time our journey takes us to a remote corner of rural Bulgaria, home to perhaps the most enigmatic place in the world, the TSARICHINA PIT! This was an ancient underground cave said to be the home of supernatural knowledge and power. The Bulgarian army dug into it, ventured into the Pit...and then retreated, covering the entrance with concrete and hiding the truth of what happened behind a veil of secrecy. Did the soldiers find an ancient UFO complete with alien pilot? Or some kind of extradimensional entity trapped in the rock? Only speculation remains. Now it's time for Wormwood to investigate...read more HERE!
As usual, our Torture Chamber this week is full of a multitude of genres, from New York hardcore to Gothic doom to classic metal!
AGNOSTIC FRONT "Echoes In Eternity"
PHOBOCOSM "Gateway"
NOVEMBRE "Words Of Indigo"
HYPERION "Cybergenesis"
STARLIGHT RITUAL "Rogue Angels"
NIGHT TERROR "Return Of The Witches"
CRIMSON GLORY LIVE IN HOUSTON!
Wormwood's Texas operative COLONEL ANGUS has access to a ton of cool shows in the Lone Star State. This time around, he brings us a report on the triumphant return of prog/power metal legends CRIMSON GLORY to the live stage. These guys were tantalizingly close to making it big time in the late 80's/early 90's. How did their new singer TRAVIS WILLIS fit in as a replacement for the late great MIDNIGHT? What classic CRIMSON GLORY tunes were on the menu? And how did it all sound? Only one way to find out...click HERE!
December brings us to the end of another year. We're already working on some really cool stuff for 2026, including our infamous TOP 10 lists as well as a whole passel of interviews, film articles and more! The end of the month might be a little sparse, but we'll be back with a bang in 2026!
Now for a super loaded edition of the Torture Chamber!
SANGUISUGABOGG "Hideous Aftermath"
1914 "Viribus Unitis"
CREATURES "Creatures II"
OMNIUM GATHERUM "May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way"
SACRED LEATHER "Keep The Fire Burning"
AKOLYTH "Ecstatic Kingdom"
CHAIRMAKER "Leviathan Carcass"
YEAH, SICK! "Your Herbs And Spices Won't Save You Now!"
HERALDIC BLAZE "Monument Of Will"
AN OBSCURE INTERROGATION OF HOODED MENACE!
Take a journey into the fetid crypts of the Templars this week as we talk to Finland's grisly purveyors of doom, HOODED MENACE! I talk to founding member LASSE PYKKO without the aid of a Ouija Board as we delve into the mysteries of the latest HM album, "Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration". This one is a bit of a departure for the blind ghouls, so read all about it HERE!
Happy Thanksgiving to all this week! This upcoming week will see less of an update from us, if we have any at all. But we will be back in force soon with a live report on CRIMSON GLORY and a double sized Torture Chamber!
Speaking of which, we've got a good one this week, with CATHEDRAL, ENTHRONED and more for your perusal…
CATHEDRAL "Society's Pact With Satan"
MEZZROW "Embrace The Awakening"
AKTOR "Professori (Season 2)"
BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS "The Hardest Thing About Being God is That No One Believes Me"
ENTHRONED "Ashspawn"
SCORCHING TOMB "Ossuary"
INSIDE THE WORLD OF CEA SERIN!
This week, COLONEL ANGUS investigates one of progressive metal's best kept secrets, Louisiana's CEA SERIN! This band seems to put out a record once every 10 years, but the quality of each record is so outstanding, each release makes a big splash. The newest CEA SERIN is "The World Outside" and Angus talks to mastermind JAY LAMM about why it took so long for this one to manifest itself. Jay gives some really detailed and informative answers, so you'll get a really good look inside CEA SERIN HERE!
Should have some important announcements for you all soon!
The Torture Chamber this week has some pretty dark and disturbing entries…
HELL IN THE CLUB "Joker In The Pack"
CORONER "Dissonance Theory"
STELLAR CIRCUITS "Phantom::Phoenix"
WITHERING SOUL "Passage Of The Arcane"
MORBIKON "Lost In The Astral Crypts"
LAMP OF MURMUUR "The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy"
TRIPLE THE INSANITY WITH BOB'S BURN PIT #3!
Pizza-loving pyromaniac BOB BURNER is back in action with the latest BURN PIT! He's got three wildly different cult films for us to take a look at this time around. First off, the craziest might be the delirious Indonesian sword-and-sorcery epic THE DEVIL'S SWORD featuring some of the nuttiest martial arts battles ever committed to film. Then we take a sharp left turn to look at a quiet classic of 70's dark thrillers, THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE, featuring a young and dangerous JODIE FOSTER dodging the creepy attentions of MARTIN SHEEN! Finally, we finish things off with an overlooked 80's rural thriller SHALLOW GRAVE, where a deranged sherriff hunts four horny college girls! Bob's got it all for you right HERE!
Got six new victims in the Wormwood Torture Chamber for you to check out!
BARREN PATH "Grieving"
KARATE STEVE "Time Under Tension"
SINTAGE "Unbound Triumph"
VALDUR "Guilded Abyss"
GORLEBEN "Menetekel"
DEPRAVITY "Bestial Possession"
FEEL THE WRATH OF WARBRINGER!
Make sure your neck brace is firmly attached as we dive into the wild world of WARBRINGER this week! During their appearance at the BLADES OF STEEL fest this year, I was able to interview long time singer JOHN KEVILL and the result was most superior! It was a wide ranging chat that covered the history of the band, their new album "Wrath And Ruin" and a number of stimulating social topics. So dive in HERE for one of the best interviews of the year!
On the news front, our busy Texas correspondent COLONEL ANGUS just caught a live performance by CRIMSON GLORY in Houston and will have a report for us soon, with lots of his great pics. And I also managed to grab another interview, this time with Sweden's long-running thrashers MEZZROW! Keep watching for that as well!
Got a double-barrelled shotgun blast of a Torture Chamber for you this week!
SADISTIC FORCE "Morbid Odyssey"
HOODED MENACE "Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration"
REVELATOR "Light The Devil's Fire"
SKULL REVENGE "State Of Oblivion"
THAUMATURGY "Pestilential Hymns"
DOME RUNNER "World Panopticon"
DYING REMAINS "Merciless Suffering"
SPEEDCLAW "Stardust"
UNSOULING "Outward Streams Of Devotional Woe"
JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN: CABIN FEVER AND THE RETURN OF DRACULA!
All Hallow's Eve is almost upon us! And in celebration of that unholy night, DARK STARR turns his attention to a couple of very different yet effective horror films! First up is his look at Eli Roth's gory body horror comedy "CABIN FEVER" from 2002. You wanna talk about a bad skin condition, this movie is the last word on that subject! Read all about it HERE! Then we travel back to 1958 to look at a unique and underappreciated vampire film, "THE RETURN OF DRACULA"! This movie finds the Count leaving Communist Transylvania and moving to suburban California. Get the lowdown on this one right HERE!
Hope to have some news about interesting new features coming soon!
Here's a big orange edition of the Torture Chamber!
BLIZARO "Light And Desolation"
ORBIT CULTURE "Death Above Life"
RAGE "A New World Rising"
KOSTNATENI "Přílišnost"
MILE MARKER ZERO "Coming Of Age"
ABOMINATOR "The Fire Brethren'
A HISTORY LESSON FROM NILS PATRIK JOHANSSON!
One of the great voices of European metal is Sweden's NILS PATRIK JOHANSSON. Perhaps best known as lead singer of ASTRAL DOORS, he is also in WUTHERING HEIGHTS, LION'S SHARE and RIFFORIA, as well as doing his own solo albums. Well, none other than COLONEL ANGUS recently grabbed an interview with this golden-throated frontman! Nils' new album "War And Peace" deals with world history, a favorite subject for the singer. So naturally that topic came up in the discussion. Get educated right HERE!
This week we feature another massive edition of the Torture Chamber, with the likes of TESTAMENT, DEAD HEAT and FM along for the ride!
DEAD HEAT "Process Of Elimination"
TESTAMENT "Para Bellum"
SWEET SAVAGE "Bang"
BINAH "Onkos"
RAUHNACHT "Zwischenwelten"
GRAVERIPPER "From Welkin To Tundra"
REDSHARK "Sudden Impact"
GAWTHROP "Kuboa"
LIVE REVIEWS FOR BLADES OF STEEL AND MICHAEL SCHENKER!
It's harvest season and we've got a bountiful crop of live concert reviews here at Wormwood! First, it's our long awaited look at the latest edtion of BLADES OF STEEL! This year's three day fest featured the messy mayhem of BELUSHI SPEED BALL, the long awaited arrival of SATAN, and names like WARBRINGER and INCANTATION! Plus DR. MALITY ejected from the building! Find out more HERE! And for a special treat, we've got COLONEL ANGUS' look at a Houston show featuring the legendary MICHAEL SCHENKER as well as ARMORED SAINT! Lots of cool pics as well. Check it out HERE!
Speaking of the Colonel, he has sure been busy! He also found time to interview the rising prog metal band CEA SERIN and creator JAY LAMM! Coming soon to Wormwood! And also look for DARK STARR's reviews of two wildly different horror films...2002's comical gorefest "CABIN FEVER" and 1958's underrated vampire tale "THE RETURN OF DRACULA"! And more on the way!
A double sized edition of the Torture Chamber featuring more MICHAEL SCHENKER as well as HELSTAR and THE RESIDENTS...
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP "Don't Sell Your Soul"
HELSTAR "The Devil's Masquerade"
PREDECEASED "Weirdo Riffers"
ARSON CHARGE "A Dying Light"
WARRANT (Ger.) "The Speed Of Metal"
THE RESIDENTS "Doctor Dark"
FALLING LEAVES "The Silence That Binds Us"
AGENBITE MISERY "The Remorse of Conscience"
PSYCHO FRAME "Salvation Laughs In the Face of a Grieving Mother"
STEP INTO THE WORLD OF NEFARIOUS!
Many times, the term "supergroup" is badly misused, but not in the case of NEFARIOUS! This Bay Area metal band is not just a tribute to the great thrash metal of old, but actually contains some of the players who made that genre what it is. Like RICK HUNOLT formerly of EXODUS, WILL CARROLL of DEATH ANGEL, KATON DEPENA of HIRAX, TOM GEARS OF BLIND ILLUSION and the man I was honored to talk to for this interview, DOUG PIERCY of HEATHEN! Those are heavy names to conjure with and NEFARIOUS has lived up to their legacy by releasing one of the year's best thrash metal albums, "Addicted To Power"! Get the lowdown on this killer band that is both old and new HERE!
Things are falling into place on a number of other fronts. Look for an interview with death/doom Templars HOODED MENACE and their frontman LASSE PYKKO coming soon. Other interviews are in the works and we'll have more to say about them soon. Also look for more live concert coverage and movie reviews!
This week's Torture Chamber boasts classic names like TODAY IS THE DAY, PARADISE LOST and SARGEIST so dig in…
TODAY IS THE DAY "Never Give In"
AMBUSH "Evil In All Dimensions"
PARADISE LOST "Ascension"
SARGEIST "Flame Within Flame"
NOW I'VE DONE IT "An Ill Guest"
CEA SERIN "The World Outside"
ENTER A DARK REALM OF DEMENTIA!
We take a walk on the wild side this week at Wormwood...a journey into the seediest underbelly of the urban jungle. It's an in-depth look at the unique and cruelly forgotten film "DEMENTIA", a film noir nightmare of surreal darkness that was way ahead of its time! It tells the story of a ruthless young lady's voyage into a world of murder and depravity. If you've never heard of this one, now is the time to catch up with "Dementia" right HERE!
We're working on a number of projects including some new live concert reviews, interviews and the next edition of the Wormwood Files! Details to follow!
An extra big chunk of auditory insanity awaits in this week's Torture Chamber...
ABRADED "Ethereal Emanations of Cthonic Caries"
CASTLE RAT "The Bestiary"
STRANGERS "Boundless"
DARKNESS "The Death Squad Chronicles"
NILS PATRIK JOHANSSON "War And Peace"
PERISHING "Malicious Acropolis Unveiled"
SPEED QUEEN "With A Bang!"
HADOPELAGYAL "Haematophoryktos"
ARKAEON "Når Bjerge Bliver til StØy"
DOOM CULT COMMANDO "Das Erwachen der Schlange"
VIKING SPIRIT IS UNLEASHED AT WORMWOOD!
The berserker metal legions of UNLEASHED return to Wormwood Laboratories this week as DR. MALITY speaks to the voice of the band, JOHNNY HEDLUND! Johnny has been hoisting the flagon for classic Swedish death metal for over 35 years now and very few know more about the subject than him. The new UNLEASHED album "Fire Upon Your Lands" continues the proud Viking attack against the weaklings of the White Christ and holds true to everything the band stands for. We have a great conversation about what makes the band tick and what keeps them so strong and consistent throughout the years. Grab your own tankard of mead and find out more HERE!
Coming to Wormwood soon will another great voice of Scandinavian metal, NILS PATRIK JOHANSSON! COLONEL ANGUS has grabbed a talk with the great vocalist, which you will be able to read here soon. Working on some other choice features as we speak...
This week's Torture Chamber ranges from tastefully tuneful to hideously grotesque!
WYTCH HAZEL "V: Lamentations"
HEADLESS "Transitional Objects"
LAST RETCH "Abject Cruelty"
SÖLICITÖR "Enemy In Mirrors"
COSMIC REAPER "Bleed The Wicked, Drown The Damned"
TRICK OR TREAT "Ghosted"
AN INTERVIEW FROM A TO Z WITH DRUM GREAT MARK ZONDER!
MARK ZONDER is universally acclaimed as one of the best drummers in heavy metal and hard rock. He's been involved with numerous projects over the years, but one of the most notable is the progressive hard rock outfit A-Z, where's partnered with vocalist extraordinaire RAY ALDER. Longtime fan COLONEL ANGUS was able to catch with Mark to talk to him about A-Z as well as the legendary WARLORD, the other band he's most associated with. Connect with that chat right HERE!
Got an extra big Torture Chamber for you this week, with all sorts of sounds to dive into...
NOVEMBER'S DOOM "Major Arcana"
CONDITION CRITICAL "Degeneration Chamber"
MADHOUSE "Plead The Fifth"
INTERCOURSE "How I Fell In Love With The Void"
VISITANT "Rubidium"
FINNR'S CANE "Finnr's Cane"
HERUVIM "Mercator"
HOLD ME DOWN "Devour"
ACROLYSIS "Intoxicator"
A TASTE OF SPANISH FIRE FROM IMPUREZA!
Time for us to take a trip to the darkly romantic land of Spain to meet IMPUREZA, one of the more unusual bands you are likely to encounter. Although headquartered in France, the band is obsessed with the history and mythology of Spain, which they relate through their music: a combination of traditional flamenco influences and brutal death metal. It sounds crazy but it works perfectly on the new IMPUREZA album "Alcazares". I talk to guitar maestro LIONEL "CANO" MUNOZ about the origin of the band and their devotion to the darker sides of Spain. Come along and learn more HERE!
This week's Torture Chamber is packed with cool bands both notorious and cryptic!
THE RODS "Wild Dogs Unchained"
ARKHAAIK "Uihtis"
KATATONIA "Nightmares as an Extension of the Waking State"
DESASTER "Kill All Idols"
PALANTYR "The Ascension and the Hunger"
SYRINX "Time Out Of Place"
NEW TORTURE CHAMBER AND SOME CHOICE NEWS...
Due to my attendance at the BLADES OF STEEL FEST in Madison, WI, this was a pretty sparse week for Wormwood updates. However, we did manage to get you a new Torture Chamber featuring pithy reviews for bands like PARADOX, DEATHHAMMER, SHOCK NARCOTIC and more. You can find the links below!
In addition to a full write up on the event, I'm also pleased as punch to announce that I grabbed a face to face interview with John Kevill from thrash masters WARBRINGER! This one will be well worth waiting for! I'm also working on another interview with one of the fastest rising bands in the scene. More info to come!
And now, here's the aforementioned Torture Chamber....
SHOCK NARCOTIC "My Flesh Is Afraid But I Am Not"
DEATHHAMMER "Crimson Dawn"
PARADOX "Mysterium"
CRONOS COMPULSION "Lawgiver"
KRIGSGRAV "Stormcaller"
INNUMERABLE FORMS "Pain Efflugence"
THE WICKER MAN AND HORROR HIGH GET A LOOK!
This week, a couple of weird thrillers get a look as only Wormwood Chronicles can do it! THE WICKER MAN is the 1973 folk horror classic that hardly needs an introduction...but our boy DARK STARR never saw it until he did this review! So we'll look at it in a fresh way, from a first time perspective. See what he said about it HERE! Then we get much closer to modern times for a review of the "wholesome horror" HORROR HIGH, about a strange school where tardiness is punished by DEATH! That's almost as strict as my old alma mater! See if this one is worth a look HERE!
A special note! This weekend I plan on attending the BLADES OF STEEL Metalfest in Madison, WI so we may have less of an update here than usual. I still hope to at least get a new Torture Chamber up if I can. It will be worth it,because not only will I be reviewing the entire 3 day fest but I should be getting an interview with one of the headlining bands. Who is it? You'll find out next week!
Speaking of the Torture Chamber, this might just be the most jam-packed edition of the year so far!
SINSAENUM "In Devastation"
UNLEASHED "Fire Upon Your Lands"
GLENN HUGHES "Chosen"
DEGRAVE "Metalithic"
PRIMAL FEAR "Domination"
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT "Innern"
FERMENTO "Acts Of Blood"
BLIND EQUATION "A Funeral In Purgatory"
DEMIURGON "Miasmatic Deathless Chamber"
BEHOLD THE COSMIC POWER OF OLD MACHINES!
Wormwood takes a trip to the furthest reaches of the galaxy to encounter the might of OLD MACHINES! This Canadian-American federation uses extreme symphonic metal to tell the story of god-like A.I.'s that arise every million years to wipe out the empires of organic beings. Now they've turned their sights on Earth...and OLD MACHINES are here to tell the tale. It may be the most epic concept ever related by a metal band. I talk to keyboardist/lyricist JASON STARES about the origin of both the band and the story. It's an eye-opening revelation you can sample HERE!
More news from Wormwood Labs! COLONEL ANGUS has acquired an interview with the renowned drummer MARK ZONDER, best known for his work in FATES WARNING and WARLORD, but here more concerned with the new prog metal powerhouse A-Z! Something to look forward to! Plus, I can tell you that the next Wormwood Files will be dedicated to the outrageous story of Bulgaria's TSARICHINA HOLE...perhaps the most mysterious "forbidden zone" in paranormal history!
The Torture Chamber this week is a great mix of melody and mayhem!
MOB RULES "Rise of the Ruler"
AZURE EMOTE "Cryptic Aura"
ASHES OF ARES "New Messiahs"
MALTHUSIAN "The Summoning Bell"
ANCHORITE "Realm of Ruin"
HARVESTED "Dysthymia"
WE CHECK OUT THE ACTION AT STORMBRINGER FEST!
The one and only BOB BURNER recently attended the very last edition of STORMBRINGER FEST in Massachusetts...a smaller scale but hard-charging event devoted to the best of America's true metal underground. Bands this year included TWISTED TOWER DIRE, ADAMANTIS, OWLBEAR, and plenty more. Bob got his nose out of the pizza box long enough to snap some great pictures as well. Get the lowdown on this excellent Metalfest HERE...and don't forget to support the underground!
Got some great news today! I bagged an interview with one of the OG's of the Swedish death metal scene, the unholy UNLEASHED! I talked to head Viking JOHNNY HEDLUND about everything going on in the mystic land of Odalheim! First time in over 10 years we've talked to them. Lots more news is coming soon!
Got a pretty well rounded Torture Chamber this time around, with AMORPHIS and more!
BASK "The Turning"
AMORPHIS "Borderland"
BLACK MAJESTY "Oceans Of Black"
CLAIRVOYANCE "Chasm Of Immurement"
FIRSTBORNE "Lucky"
VINDICATOR "Whispers Of Death"
MOUTH OF MADNESS "Event Horizon"
HIBERNAUT "Obsidian Eye"
WEEPING SORES "The Convalescence Agonies"
WE PAY TRIBUTE TO HARDCORE ICON SABU!
It's been way too long since we've done something rooted in the rasslin' world, but this new article is a sad one. The homicidal, suicidal, genocidal maniac SABU has left us after a lifetime of mayhem. So it's time to pay tribute to the man who brought blood, violence and a million broken tables back to pro wrestling. I take a close look at his career, including his relation to the legendary SHEIK, his time in Japan, his unforgettable and ground-breaking run in ECW and his troubled final days, including his last match held just weeks before his death. Point your finger to the sky and read more HERE!
Trying hard to come up with some great new content and should have news to report soon!
The Torture Chamber this week features the immortal HELLOWEEN and a bunch of gnarly bands!
HELLOWEEN "Giants And Monsters"
BLACK MAGNET "Megamantra"
BLOODLETTER "Leave The Light Behind"
REBURIED "Flesh Mourning"
CANCER VOID "First Metastasis"
GRAVE SPEAKER "Rays of the Emerald Sun"
FALL UNDER A PHANTOM SPELL...
This time around, COLONEL ANGUS ushers us into a fantastic world that feels like a trip into the past. He interviews KYLE McNEILL, the guiding force of PHANTOM SPELL, a band that mixes the best of 70's progressive rock and early 80's heavy metal. Kyle has plenty to say about how he puts PHANTOM SPELL's enchanting tunes together, as well as his influences and even some info concerning his other major band, SEVEN SISTERS. The new PS album "Hearth and Heather" is attracting a ton of interest, so hop aboard HERE
Lots of good stuff coming up soon, including interviews with IMPUREZA, NEFARIOUS and OLD MACHINES, as well as a report on the excellent STORMBRINGER Metalfest and more articles on freaky films and a look at the late wrestler SABU. Plus the usual madness of the Torture Chamber!
Speaking of which, here's the latest Chamber, featuring Nepalese grindcore, classic California thrash, cosplay power metal and a whole bunch more!
CHEPANG "Jhyappa"
NEFARIOUS "Addicted To Power"
WARKINGS "Armageddon"
COLTSBLOOD "Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk"
NAMEBEARER "Industries of the Fading Sun"
VIOGRESSION "Thaumaturgic Veil"!
THE SCARRED STORY OF PATCHWORK!
We keep things close to home for this week's major offering. PATCHWORK are a gritty and hard-working band from the gritty and hard-working home of Wormwood, Rockford, IL! They've just released their second album "Scars", which is one of the best things to come out of this burg. DR. MALITY hooked up with drummer DAVE CARUANA at a local dive to get the story on this band, including the tragic loss of guitarist MARK SHEETS to cancer. Dave and I have a great chat, talking about the glory days of Rockford music, a shared love of RUSH and the many adversities the band had to face to make it this far. A very differend kind of interview, which you can sample HERE!
DARK STARR will have movie reviews of the cult classic "THE WICKER MAN" from 1973 and the much more recent "wholesome" "HORROR HIGH" coming up soon while the Good Doctor will have a writeup on the avant-garde film noir nightmare "DEMENTIA" from 1955. And there will be some more interviews coming up real soon!
Here is one of the nuttiest and most far ranging Torture Chambers we've ever posted here!
BRIGHT SUNSHINE "Executive Power Supreme"
SIGH "I Saw The World's End" (Hangman's Hymn MMXXV)
THE CRYSTAL TEARDROP "...Is Forming"
PLASMODULATED "An Ocean Ov Putrid, Stinking, Vile, Disgusting Hell"
TEMPTRESS "Catch The Endless Dawn"
CELESTIAL WIZARD "Regenesis"
THE CHRIS ROLLING SQUAD "Damn You All To...Hell"
FRYKTELIG STØY "Incandescent"
MUTANT SEX DEMON "Cutting Through"
BOB'S BURN PIT IS BACK WITH MORE MOVIE MAYHEM!
Our buddy BOB BURNER is back and loaded for bear this week! It's the second edition of BOB'S BURN PIT and this time Bob looks at three films from the golden age of VHS. "THE ABOMINATION" is a crazy movie featuring living tumors, evil preachers and a narrator that may be nuts. "THE MUTILATOR" is a classic slasher featured a whacked-out Dad out to kill his son and friends. And "BLOOD SALVAGE" is an overlooked film about Crazy Jake's "body shop", where more than just cars are getting torn apart. Join the fun right HERE!
Things are popping at Wormwood Laboratories! I got an interview with DOUG PIERCY, a legend in the Bay Area thrash metal scene, about his new superstar band NEFARIOUS that also features RICK HUNOLT formerly of EXODUS and KATON DEPENA of HIRAX! That one's a smoker! And COLONEL ANGUS broke bread with KYLE O'NEILL, the mind behind exciting new band PHANTOM SPELL, which combines the best of 70's prog and early metal! Plus DARK STARR has got even more psychotronic movie stuff lined up and Im thinking about my own contribution to Philm Phreaks…
In this edition of the Torture Chamber, our reviews are sharper and more pointed than usual.…
CHANGELING "Changeling"
SODOM. "The Arsonist"
A-Z "A2Z2"
IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS " A Crack In Everything"
DARK CHAPEL "Spirit In The Glass"
EXECUTIONIST "Sacraments Of The Sick"
A RUNDOWN OF MILWAUKEE METALFEST 2025!
Yessiree, Bob, it's time for our annual look at the biggest headbanging hobnob in the Midwest, the MILWAUKEE METALFEST! This year's edition sported names like EXODUS, ENSLAVED, DOWN, ROTTING CHRIST and DEMOLITION HAMMER...and tons more! DR. ABNER MALITY and THERON MOORE take a detailed look at the first two days of the Fest and include plenty of exclusive pics! Who raged and who came up short? Find out HERE!
Lots of irons in the fire currently! The Good Doctor hopes to have a couple more interview in the bag soon and COLONEL ANGUS promises some new ones as well. Plus cult movie reviews by BOB BURNER and DARK STARR as well as Doc's look at the career of hardcore wrestling icon SABU, may he rest in peace!
As usual, our Torture Chamber is crazier than a weasel on paint fumes!
PHANTOM SPELL "Hearth and Heather"
OLD MACHINES "The Cycle of Extinction"
FER DE LANCE "Fires On the Mountainside"
DRAWN AND QUARTERED "Lord of Two Horns"
AFFLICTION VECTOR "Contra Hominem"
BACON WAGON "Trauma Cake"
BLOOD VULTURE "Die Close"
DISEMBODIMENT "Spiral Crypts"
GRACELESS "Icons of Ruin"
GET BLUDGEONED BY BEAR MACE!
Emerging from the rugged streets of Chicago is BEAR MACE, a band as blunt and brutal as their name. These dudes have been chugging out some rough and ready death metal in the vein of BOLT THROWER, CIANIDE and OBITUARY for years now, but their current album "Slaves Of The Wolf" might be their best yet. I talk to guitarist MARK SUGAR and drummer GARRY NAPLES about the steady upward march of the band and what they've got planned for the future! Strap on your flak jacket and find out more HERE!
Things are brewing at Wormwood Laboratories! The pizza nerd BOB BURNER will soon be back with the second edition of his BURN PIT! This time BOB looks at some cult movie atrocities: "THE ABOMINATION", "THE MUTILATOR" and "BLOOD SALVAGE"! That's not all! He's also gonna have a report on the STORMBRINGER Metalfest, which he attended with his worst enemy, the No Fun Shogun, RANDY KASTNER! As for the Good Doctor, I've got an interview with the symphonic sci-fi black metal band OLD MACHINES which I can tell you is cool as hell! Plus COLONEL ANGUS is working on some stuff I should have more info about soon!
Pirates, evil conquistadors and atomic witches infest this week's edition of the Torture Chamber!
CROMLECH "Of Owls And Eels"
IMPUREZA "Alcazares"
ALESTORM "The Thunderfist Chronicles"
ATOMIC WITCH "Death Etiquette"
CIRCU5 "Clockwork Tulpa"
ENTHEOMORPHOSIS "Pyha Kuilu"
THE RETURN OF DON OF THE DEAD!
Once more, the diabolical DON OF THE DEAD graces us with his infernal presence. The frontman from Cleveland's death metal lunatics NUNSLAUGHTER is no stranger to the pages of Wormwood, but this time, THERON MOORE has asked him some very personal questions that dig into the man behind the myth. Did Don have a Christian upbringing? Did he ever actively worship the Devil? What does his family think of his sinister antics? You can get the answer to all of these questions HERE!
An extra large and juicy Torture Chamber is available for your perusal as well!
KING WITCH "III"
KING PARROT "A Young Person's Guide To King Parrot"
CHRIS CAFFERY "20 Years Of The Music Man"
HOLLOW LEG "Dust And Echoes"
HAXPROCESS "Beyond What The Eyes Can See"
JASON BLAKE "A Confusion Sequence"
GROTESQUE BLISS "Grotesque Bliss"
SHROUDED IN DARKNESS "11:11"
MORBYDA "Under The Spell"
THE CHEAP AND CRAZY WORLD OF LARRY BUCHANAN!
This week's Philm Phreaks article is long overdue! We've paid tribute to many maverick directors of low budget goodness here, but we've never gotten around to Texas' LARRY BUCHANAN...until now! I take a really close look at the prolific career of the cut-rate maestro and such iconic films as "THE TRIAL OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD", "ZONTAR: THE THING FROM VENUS" and 'GOODBYE, NORMA JEAN". I found out a lot about Larry when putting this together and his actual story is kind of inspiring. Check it out HERE!
We should have another "Burn Pit" from BOB BURNER pretty soon, as well as interviewswith BEAR MACE, NUNSLAUGHTER and more! Should have some more big news pretty soon and also our look at MILWAUKEE METALFEST 2025!
It's time to welcome another new writer to Wormwood Laboratories. Say hello to MERCYFUL MIKE, who graces us with his first effort, a review of ECHOSOUL, in this week's Torture Chamber!
ECHOSOUL "Time Of The Dragon"
INCITE "Savage New Times"
PUTRIDITY "Morbid Ataraxia"
NAMTARU "Cult of Ancient Deities"
SHED THE SKIN "The Carnage Casts Shadows"
SONS OF RA "Standard Deviation"
SEVERED ANGEL DESCENDS FROM THE HEAVENS!
COLONEL ANGUS recently sought angelic help for a crisis of faith and his plea was answered by SEVERED ANGEL! Those praying for heavy metal with class will surely find their prayers answered by this L.A. band. Their new album "When Eternity Ends" brings forth a melodic mix of QUEENSRYCHE, HELLOWEEN and ARMORED SAINT vibes. Drummer WAYNE NOON tells Angus all about the genesis of both the band and the album, along with other salient facts. Mr. Noon wound up being a very well-spoken example of the skin-beating breed. Hear what he has to say HERE!
On the new interview front, I can tell you that I will have a chat with the unique Spanish/French unit IMPUREZA and their guitarist LIONEL MUNOZ soon. Ever hear a mix of fiery flamenco guitar and grisly death metal before? You will when you hear these guys! Coming soon to WC!
A bigger than usual Torture Chamber yields an extremely interesting mix of bands!
HELMS DEEP "Chasing The Dragon"
TEITANBLOOD "From the Visceral Abyss"
MACHINE HEAD “UnatØned"
WALKING BOMBS "Blessings Bestrewn Part 1"
DROUTH "The Teeth of Time"
TOKYO BLADE "Time Is The Fire"
ANCIENT DEATH "Ego Dissolution"
IMMINENT SONIC DESTRUCTION "Floodgate"
EYES "Spinner"
WORMWOOD IS HAUNTED BY PHANTOM!
Ghosts and all creatures of the night are welcome at Wormwood, so asking Mexico's PHANTOM for an interview was a no-brainer. These ghouls from Guadalajara are an exciting new force on the metal scene, specializing in brain-melting speed metal of the best vintage kind! I contacted guitarist/vocalist J.C. NECROHEX via Ouija board and asked him about the band's origin and its many oldschool influences that they've mixed together so well. Pick up their new album "Tyrants of Wrath" to hear what they're about and read the interview HERE!
Working on some stuff for later appearance here! Think I will do a biography of the recently departed hardcore wrestling legend SABU, which will be the first wrestling article we've done in more than two years. Also trying to connect for some interviews. Also want to say the first contribution by new member MERCYFUL MIKE should be right around the corner!
This week's Torture Chamber is strange even by the extreme standards we've established here!
LOVE/ HATE "Punk Rock Fiesta!"
VARIOUS ARTISTS "Yeah, Man, It's Bloody Heavy!"
MIDNIGHT "Steel, Rust and Disgust"
EMPLOYED TO SERVE "Fallen Star"
AITTALA "Machines"
HATE "Bellum Regiis"
A MASSIVE REVIEW OF HELL'S HEROES 2025!
Our Concrete Cowboy in Houston, COLONEL ANGUS, should get some kind of award for his coverage of the awesome HELL'S HEROES 2025 fest. He managed to cover every single band that played the fest over four days! Holy cats! That stellar lineup includes bands like SAXON, CRIMSON GLORY, ABBATH, HIRAX, NASTY SAVAGE, HELSTAR and many, many more. Angus write-up on this killer fest can be found HERE, along with tons of exclusive photos! That boy needs a vacation from the vacation!
In addition to this massive concert review, we also have your regularly scheduled Torture Chamber!
HATE FOREST "Against All Odds"
CLAMFIGHT "Clamfight"
GRUESOME "Silent Echoes"
EMPYREAN SANCTUM "Detachment From Reality"
HAEMORRHAGE "Opera Medica"
DEAD CHASM "Spectral Tyranny"
DIABOLIZER "Murderous Revelations"
A BREAK IN THE ACTION + NEW TORTURE CHAMBER!
This last weekend, the Good Doctor got his brains scrambled and his eardrums assaulted at MILWAUKEE METALFEST! Have no fear, I am doing a write-up on the event, which included sets by EXODUS, ENSLAVED, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, DOWN and a ton more. But due to this and also some work time at the Lab, there's no interview or major feature this week. Next week will see COLONEL ANGUS' epic report on the HELL'S HEROES show so get ready for that.
I can also confirm that we will indeed be seeing yet another new initiate here at Wormwood! Get ready for the debut of MERCYFUL MIKE, who joins BOB BURNER as the new recruit. This fiend is well known in the Wisconsin area. The ranks of Wormwood are ever growing!
We did manage to get you a new Torture Chamber this week, though! Here we go...
HAREM SCAREM "Chasing Euphoria"
SPIRITWORLD "Helldorado"
DESERTED FEAR "Veins of Fire"
PATCHWORK "Scars"
TRIVAX "The Great Satan"
WARFIELD "With The Old Breed"
GAME OVER "Face The End"
GATES TO HELL "Death Comes To All"
SIJJIN "Helljinn Combat"
SWEET CORN AND BLACK METAL: MEET ILLINOIS' BLOOD CULT!
We didn't have to go too far to find this week's interview subject. Just to Central Illinois and the bustling metropolis (sic) of Moweaqua, where dwells one J.R. PRESTON, the creator and leader of redneck black metal band BLOOD CULT! If that sounds strange, it is! J.R. has a lot of stories to tell about small town weirdness and the fight against prejudiced minds. His droll delivery makes this a very entertaining chat and you will also learn about the latest BLOOD CULT album "We're Gonna Take Your Soul". So get off of that combine and read all about it HERE!
Next week might see slim pickins' from Wormwood as DR. MALITY and THERON MOORE are headed to the mayhem of MILWAUKEE METALFEST. We'll try to get some Torture Chamber reviews up but any big interview or article will have to wait until the following week. We should have COLONEL ANGUS' exhaustive report on the HELL'S HEROES fest then for you!
Speaking of the Torture Chamber, we've got some big names like CANCER and ONSLAUGHT along for the ride this week!
CANCER "Inverted World"
WRATH OF LOGARIUS "Crown Of Mortis"
GOATS OF DOOM "INRI"
OVERDRIVERS "Glory Or Nothing"
MISFIRE "Product Of The Environment"
ONSLAUGHT "Origins Of Aggression"
IT'S THE DEBUT OF BOB'S BURN PIT!
At Wormwood Laboratories, we're always looking for fresh blood to help us cover loud music and freaky film! Well, new recruit BOB BURNER is going to help us with both, but especially the world of obscure, low-budget and psychotronic film. Hence we have the debut of BOB'S BURN PIT, where Bob puts three cult movies under his microscope. This time around, we look at 1981's oddball horror anthology "THE MONSTER CLUB" starring VINCENT PRICE, JOHN CARRADINE & DONALD PLEASANCE, 1977's urban kung fu revenge thriller "DEATH PROMISE" and 1985's heavy metal horror "BLOOD TRACKS", featuring members of EUROPE, SHOTGUN MESSIAH and more! Grab a piece of pizza and get ready to burn HERE!
Cleveland's most over the top death metal band NUNSLAUGHTER have been friends of ours for a while and I can tell you we've got another interview with the one and only DON OF THE DEAD coming up. This time, the honors are done by THERON MOORE, who tells me he asked Don some really off the wall questions this time around. That will be coming up down the road.
Now for a Torture Chamber jam-packed with top notch releases!
DOOMSDAY "Never Known Peace"
BENEDICTION "Ravages of Empire"
ADAMANTIS "Reforged"
SAVAGE MASTER "Dark & Dangerous"
FLAGG "Diabolical Bloodlust"
MEATWOUND "Macho"
CLAN DOS MORTOS CICATRIZ "Tecnicas De Morte"
LIQUIFIED DECOMPOSITION "Filekeeper"
BEHÖLDER "In The Temple of The Tyrant"
INTO THE FOREST WITH HAVUKRUUNU!
Finland is quite the remarkable country and well known as the most "metal" place in the world. And in Finland itself, the area known as Tavastland is especially unique. Covered in deep forests and dark marshes, the Tavastians cling to their traditions with fierce pride. From this land comes one of the best black metal bands in the world, the mighty HAVUKRUUNU. Their new album "Tavastland" is a love letter to their homeland and one of the best albums you'll hear this year. I talked to their straight-shooting frontman STEFA about "Tavastland" and how the past lives on in metal. A gruff and funny fellow! Get his insights on the band HERE!
Also coming to Wormwood will be melodic metal upstarts SEVERED ANGEL, who have surprised a lot of people with new album "When Eternity Ends". COLONEL ANGUS hooked up with skinbeater WAYNE NOON...that will be here soon. Also coming soon will be the debut of BOB's BURN PIT, a look at obscure film from our newest convert BOB BURNER!
Speaking of Bob, his review of the new SACRED STEEL kicks off this week's Torture Chamber!
SACRED STEEL "Ritual Supremacy"
BEAR MACE "Slaves Of The Wolf"
DYNAZTY "Game Of Faces"
MORBIFIC "Bloom Of The Abnormal Flesh"
ROKETS "Bad Choices"
FROGG "Eclipse"
TAKE A RIDE WITH THE FERRYMEN...PLUS SOME BIG NEWS!
Are you ready to pay the toll and meet THE FERRYMEN? COLONEL ANGUS already has met this amazing unit of melodic metal masters....specifically, he's talked to RONNIE ROMERO, who not only lends his golden tones to THE FERRYMEN, but also the likes of RAINBOW, LORDS OF BLACK, SUNSTORM, and more! Find out what this superb vocalist has to say about THE FERRYMEN and their great new album, "Iron Will" by clicking right HERE! See you on the other side!
I also want to announce a NEW member of Wormwood Laboratories! Humanoids, welcome aboard the one and only BOB BURNER! When Bob can find time between promoting Chicago metal shows and visiting every pizza parlor on Earth, he will be writing reviews of weird and quirky movies for us, as well as the occasional musical review. The first edition of "BOB'S BURN PIT" is already written and will be coming your way soon!
The Torture Chamber is even weirder, wilder and bigger than usual this time around!
MESSA "The Spin"
LIK "Necro"
SEVERED ANGEL "When Eternity Ends"
PHANTOM "Tyrants Of Wrath"
ABYSSAL VACUUM "Abyssal Vacuum"
NEPTUNIAN MAXIMALISM "Le Sacre du Soleil Invaincu"
BELNEJOUM "Dark Tales of Zarathustra"
TÓMARÚN "Beyond Obsidian Euphoria"
GALGEBERG "Cerberus"
IN SEARCH OF OGOPOGO!
It's time once more to dive into the weird world of the Wormwood Files! This time we head north to British Columbia and the murky depths of Lake Okanagan, which is said to be the home of the lake monster known as OGOPOGO! This creature inspires more sightings than even the fabled Nessie...we look at just a few of the many sightings, which go back hundreds of years to the days of the First Nations and extend to the present time. Find out why Ogopogo might just be the most likely creep from the deep right HERE!
I think we might have a new name popping up here at Wormwood Laboratories pretty soon. This miscreant is actually a well known member of the Midwestern metal scene, but we will keep his identity secret out of an abundance of caution. When the time is right, all will be revealed! Some other cool things happening behind the scenes here as well....more in the future!
Here's one of the most interesting Torture Chamber lineups in a while...
COFFIN FEEDER "Big Trouble"
WHIPSTRIKER "Cry of Extinction"
DON AIREY "Pushed To The Edge"
PAGAN ALTAR "Never Quite Dead"
CHAMBER MAGE "By Light Of Emerald Gods"
GRAVE INFESTATION "Carnage Gathers"
NOBODY'S FASTER THAN HIRAX!
That's a fact! In the wild and woolly world of thrash metal, few bands can keep pace with the mighty HIRAX! For 40 years, they've been scorching the ears of all who've encountered them. And always at the head of the HIRAX pack is KATON W. DEPENA. One of the most recognizable faces in the scene, he's been keeping the faith for 40 years now. It was my honor to talk to this forefather of the scene, who's promoting a brand new release, "Faster Than Death". Proud and humble at the same time, Katon had a lot to tell me. Find out exactly what he said HERE!
A Mexican PHANTOM is coming soon to Wormwood! If any band can follow in the footsteps of HIRAX, it would be these young hellions from Guadalajara. Well, we've got an interview upcoming with them as well! And that ain't all! COLONEL ANGUS gets to talk to singer extraordinaire RONNIE ROMERO, who lends his talents to many bands including RAINBOW. But perhaps the most interesting of Ronnie's projects is THE FERRYMEN, with guitarist Magnus Karlsson (PRIMAL FEAR) and all-star drummer MIKE TERRANA. Something else coming down the pike from Wormwood!
Got a little something for everybody in this week's Torture Chamber!
CELESTIAL SANCTUARY "Visions of Stagnant Blood"
CABALLERO "Caballero"
SPIDERS "Sharp Objects"
FELGRAVE "Otherlike Darknesses"
SON OF MAN "Gaslight"
CORPUS OFFAL "Corpus Offal"
KILLER ALIENS AND GIANT LEECHES ATTACK!
Time again for us to venture into the world of cult film! This time our interstellar investigator DARK STARR looks at two great examples of low-budget 1950's sci-fi mixed with horror. First, he looks at the cheap and nasty yet extremely forward-thinking "NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST", where an astronaut not only returns from space, but also comes back from the dead! What connection does he have to the alien monster that likes to decapitate people? Then we head to a steamy swamp down south to encounter "ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES"! The title is everything you need to know about this infamous sleazy monster flick! Find out more about these classicks and their new combined release on Blu-Ray HERE!
Should have COLONEL ANGUS' epic report on the HELL'S HEROES' fest in Houston pretty soon. I'm also working on interview with two thrash metal bands, one very well known and the other brand new! Keep watching the skies, humanoids!
Now for an extra big edition of the Torture Chamber, complete with reviews of new DESTRUCTION and WARBRINGER!
DESTRUCTION "The Birth Of Malice"
DECREPISY "Deific Mourning"
THE LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG "Traveler Supplement 1: The Ephemeral Glades"
WARBRINGER "Wrath And Ruin"
NECRONOMICON (Germany) "The Final Chapter"
RAGING SPEEDHORN "Night Wolf"
PUTRID OFFAL "Obliterated Life"
RUINOUS POWER "EXTREME DANGER: Prototype Weaponry"
SIN OF GOD "Blood Bound"
THIS TERRIFIER AIN'T NO CLOWN!
Canada strikes again! The Canadian thrash metal scene is hotter than spit on a griddle and no band from the Great White North is thrashier than TERRIFIER! THERON MOORE knows the score because he got to talk to head screamer CHASE THIBODEAU! Follow the path of TERRIFIER from humble beginnings to their current status poised on the threshold of greatness. Get yet neck brace and find out more HERE!
And you better keep that brace around, because it looks like we will have a couple more fast and furious bands coming up soon. I'll let you know more once the interviews are in the bag. I can confirm, however, that I will be diving into a new PHILM PHREAKS article looking at the crazy low budget film career of Texas' favorite son LARRY BUCHANAN, director of "Mars Needs Women", "Zontar: The Thing From Venus" and "Goodbye, Norma Jean"!
This week's Torture Chamber brings forth classic metalcore, the return of a muscle-bound metalhead, Gothic horror and some of the sickest death metal ever unleashed! And that's not all...
LADY BEAST "The Inner Alchemist"
BLEEDING THROUGH "Nine"
DEATHLESS LEGACY "Damnatio Aeterna"
SCARE "In The End, Was It Worth It?"
MEPHITIC CORPSE "Sickness Attracts Sickness"
CORPSING "Viewing The Invisible" EP
RIDE INTO BATTLE WITH THE CIMMERIAN!
Somewhere north of the civilized kingdoms of man, near the forbidding mass of Crom's holy mountain, dwells a band of metal warriors known collectively as THE CIMMERIAN! They have lain down their sword to pick up guitars, but they still kill! Join DR. MALITY as he travels into "An Age Undreamed Of" to speak to NICK ROCHA of THE CIMMERIAN, who wields the bass and greets the crowds with howls of lust and fury! Learn the lore of this mighty band and their rugged mix of doom and thrash and hear tales of the warriors who have inspired them HERE! If you don't, then to hell with you!
You know the drill with the Torture Chamber, so crash right into this mass of musical mayhem!
LO-PAN "Get Well Soon"
CHEMICIDE "Violence Prevails"
NEGATIVE 13 "Recover What You Can"
MONTE PENUMBRA "Austere Dawning"
AIRFORCE "Acts of Madness"
BLOOD CULT "We're Gonna Take Your Soul"
HELL COMES TO HOUSTON...WITH KERRY KING!
Is it hotter in Hell...or Houston? That depends on where KERRY KING and his buddies are! Recently, the ex-SLAYER guitarist was in Oiltown and so was our boy COLONEL ANGUS! Angus gives us the full rundown on KERRY's gig, which also featured MUNICIPAL WASTE and ALIEN WEAPONRY! This bunch turned the House of Blues into the House of MAYHEM! Lots of great pics can also be found in the in-depth report HERE!
Speaking of live reviews, it won't be long before Angus also covers the awesome HELL'S HEROES gig with SAXON, ABBATH and a boatload more. And not long after that, the Good Doctor will be up in Wisconsin for the 2025 edition of MILWAUKEE METALFEST, with DOWN, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS and more bands than there are nits on my sister's hair! Plus we should have some more news for you soon!
This week's Torture Chamber features edgy approaches to several metallic genres!
MISANTHROPY "The Ever Crushing Weight of Stagnance"
MINDWARS "V"
SCALPTURE "Landkrieg"
KARLA KVLT "Thunderhunter"
DISTRICT 97 "Live For the Ending"
THE 7TH GUILD "Triumviro"
STEP INTO TOMORROW WITH IAN BLURTON'S FUTURE NOW!
We've always had time for great Canadian bands here at Wormwood Laboratories and this week is no different, despite the provocations of the current Asshole In Chief. The latest bunch of northern hellraisers to get the WC treatment is IAN BLURTON'S FUTURE NOW! THERON MOORE talks to Mr Blurton himself, a Canadian music producer of no little renown who has a taste of crunchy 70's hard rock in classic fashion. Find out the roots of this retro-futuristic band HERE!
For the first time in a while, we've got an extra sized Torture Chamber, chock full of metallic goodness!
SANHEDRIN "Heat Lightning"
SCOUR "Gold"
PAYSAGE D'HIVER "Die Berge"
TYRAN "Tyran's Oath"
CAUSTIC PHLEGM "Purulent Apocalypse"
SABER "Lost In Flames"
ACT OF IMPALEMENT "Profane Altar"
VULTURE'S VENGEANCE "Dust Age"
ONSLAUGHT KOMMAND "Malignancy"
GET SLAUGHTERED AT THE BÜTCHER SHOP!
Get ready for plenty of splatter and gore because we're about to enter the realm of BÜTCHER! These old school speed metal maniacs hail from Belgium and have been wrecking necks and praising Satan with a vengeance the last few years. Their latest adventure in aural butchery is "On Fowl Of Tyrant Wing" and here to tell you all about it is guitarist K.K. RIPPER! Mr. Ripper spills the beans on his gradual conversion to the ways of evil thrash and the band's many classic influences! This one is a lot of fun, so strap in and get those splatter-proof face shields ready when you find out more HERE!
We got another wild interview with a controversial dude coming up, but this one is a lot closer to home. I talk to J.R. PRESTON from Illinois' own "redneck black metal" band BLOOD CULT! Wow! This guy loves to throw some grenades, let's put it that way! I should also have news soon on some new Philm Phreak reviews!
This week's Torture Chamber features twisted Goth rock, brutal death metal, expansive prog metal and just plain METAL!
BRAINSTORM "Plague of Rats"
PHRENELITH "Ashen Womb"
NEW SKELETAL FACES "Until The Night"
LUNAR "Tempora Mutantur"
MEAN MISTREATER "Do Or Die"
LOANSHARK "No Sins To Confess"
WORMWOOD'S BEST OF 2024 LISTS ARE IN!
OK, humanoids, it's that time of year again! The Worm-Crew reveal their picks for the 10 best music releases of 2024! We've been doing this for a long time and it's always a lot of fun seeing the wildly different choices. I think those differences make us one of the most unique webzines out there!
As always, I will give you a teaser here and present the #1 picks of each writer. For the entire listins, click HERE! But here are the #1's...
DARK STARR THE LAST DINNER PARTY "Prelude to Ecstasy"
COLONEL ANGUS EVERGREY "Theories of Emptiness"
DR. ABNER MALITY CRYPT SERMON "The Stygian Rose"
THERON MOORE MC5 "Heavy Lifting"
IRON SHEIK ACCEPT "Humanoid"
THOR ABORTED "Vault of Horrors"
LORD RANDALL NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS "Wild God"
OCTOPI MILLS MY DYING BRIDE "A Mortal Binding"
Also got a couple of newsworthy tidbits for you. Look out for COLONEL ANGUS' live report on a recent Houston show featuring KERRY KING, MUNICIPAL WASTE & ALIEN WEAPONRY! With tons of great pics! And as far as the next Wormwood Files goes, it looks like I will be writing about the legendary Canadian lake monster OGOPOGO!
In addition to the Top 10 lists, you also get the Wormwood Torture Chamber to gnaw on!
THE FERRYMEN "Iron Will"
HAVAKRUUNU "Tavastland"
CHRISTIAN MISTRESS "Children of the Earth"
BIND TORTURE KILL "Sauvagarie"
FORNDOM "MoPir"
ENTER THE FANTASTIC REALM OF MAD PARISH!
The esteemed COLONEL ANGUS recently trekked into the snowy Quebec woods to speak with one of Canada's most notable progressive metal bands, MAD PARISH, and their guitarist BOB EAGLESHAM! Much of the chat centered around MAD PARISH's ambitious new concept album "The Dust of Forever" and its inspiration, along with the band's many and diverse influences. Get an insight into the world of these power-hungry minstrels of metal HERE!
Next week should see our annual "Top 10" lists looking at each Worm-scribe's favorite albums of the previous year. And as for the subject of the next Wormwood Files, it looks like it will be devoted to another Canadian institution...the infamous lake monster OGOPOGO!
The new Tolrture Chamber features both JETHRO TULL and MUTAGENIC HOST...a strange pairing you'll only see at Wormwood!
SACRIFICE "Volume Six"
JETHRO TULL "Curious Ruminant"
MUTAGENIC HOST "The Diseased Machine"
HAZZERD "The 3rd Dimension"
CMPT "Na Utrini"
NECKBREAKKER "Within The Viscera"
A MUSICAL JOURNEY WITH THE LACONIC
Something a little bit different and a bit more laid back than the usual Wormwood mayhem this week, as our Wizard of Prog, DARK STARR, interviews multi-talented music maven MARC PELATH in connection with his experimental project THE LACONIC. THE LACONIC has a sound that is very hard to pin down, with influences from progressive rock, ambient, jazz fusion, metal and straight up rock n roll. Marc himself tries to explain what he's doing and the reasoning behind it, as well as the latest LACONIC album "Ascension". Take the trip HERE...
We've been getting a ton of good interviews recently and it shows no signs of letting up. The new album from Finnish epic black metallers HAVUKRUUNU made such an impression on me that I had to talk to them. And so I did, connecting with band mastermind STEFA! Look for both review and interview soon. I was also hoping to have the subject of my latest Wormwood Files for you, but I am putting it up to a vote on the Wormwood Facebook Page. Stop by there and cast your vote!
Got an extra large Torture Chamber for you musical masochists, featuring MARILYN MANSON, HIRAX, SCUMRIPPER and many more!
MARILYN MANSON "One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1"
HIRAX "Faster Than Death"
AVATARIUM "Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead"
AEON GODS "King Of Gods"
TIGGUO COBAUC "Fountains Of Anguish"
URFEIND "Dauþalaikaz"
DERISION CULT "Mercernary Notes, Pt. 2"
SCUMRIPPER "For A Few Fixes More"
WEED DEMON "The Doom Scroll"
GET READY FOR A BRUTAL MASSACRE!
It's been a while since we've spoken to one of the true pioneers of death metal, the one and only Mr. KAM LEE! Kam is most associated with the classic band MASSACRE but his roots go back even further, to the earliest version of DEATH. He's got his claws into many other extreme music projectd as well, but most of our chat revolves around MASSACRE, whose latest album "Necrolution" may be the rawest and most primitive MASSACRE yet. Kam is never shy about his opinions and we talk about the posers of "prog death", the value of primitive nostalgia and the current death metal scene. Hear what the big guy has to say HERE!
I told you fiends last week that things were running hot and heavy here at Wormwood and I wasn't just talking to make air molecules move. For one thing, I can confirm an interview with another one of extreme metal's pioneers, KATON W. DEPENA of the mighty HIRAX! And while HIRAX is one of the old guard, THERON MOORE has interviewed one of the newer thrash highlights,...Canada's blistering TERRIFIER! And if that ain't enough, COLONEL ANGUS chats with another rising Canadian band, the prog metal masters MAD PARISH! All that is on the way, along with the infamous Wormwood "TOP 10 OF 2024" lists and a brand-new Wormwood Files subject I'll tell you about next week! Hang tight, Worm-maniacs!
And now for the latest drop of Torture Chamber reviews!
HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY "Scorched Earth"
PRIMAL CODE "Opaque Fixation"
MAD PARISH "The Dust of Forever"
PREHISTORIA "Cryptic Halo"
TORMENTOR TYRANT "Excessive Escalation of Cruelty"
FAITHXTRACTOR "Loathing & The Noose"
BEWARE THE GRIP OF THE HAUNTED STRANGLER!
BORIS KARLOFF is often called "The King of Horror" and with good reason! This week, we take a look at one of Boris' more obscure roles and find a hidden gem, with the venerable actor delivering a knockout performance as a character both tragic and fiendish. The movie is 1957's '"THE HAUNTED STRANGLER", where Boris investigates the mysteries behind a 20 year old series of brutal murders...and finds himself thrust into a total nightmare! See what DR. MALITY has to say about this forgotten classic of horror cinema HERE!
Things are really starting to cook here at Wormwood! I've snagged an interview with European metal fiends BUTCHER, who are taking the thrash and black metal scenes by storm with their raging blast of molten witchery! Also coming soon will be THERON MOORE's interview wtih 70's inspired hard rockers FUTURE NOW and their mainman IAN BLURTON! We should have even more news for you Worm-fiends shortly!
Here's a Torture Chamber that focuses on rising new talent!
BONFIRE "Higher Ground"
THE CIMMERIAN "An Age Undreamed Of"
RUIN DWELLER "Apocalyptic Ruin"
THE SLIME "Crabwalk to Oblivion"
THE RAGING PROJECT "Future Days"
DISTORTA "Dead Man" EP
SHATTERFACE "Deviate" EP
WE KICK OFF 2025 WITH AN INTERVIEW TWOFER!
BRONZE
K.O.T.
Another trip around the sun gets started here at Wormwood Laboratories and we ain't wasting any time! We kick it off with TWO interview from Mr. THERON MOORE. First, he speaks to the feisty MINA WALKURE, frontwoman for European power metallers BRONZE! Mina is one hard-driving lady, as you will find out HERE! Then we turn to the States and new classic metal band KINGDOM OF TYRANTS, who boast members from STEEL ASSASSIN and MELIAH RAGE in their ranks. For this one, Theron talks to veterans KEVIN CURRAN and MIKE MOONEY about the genesis of K.O.T. and what they've got planned. Read all about it HERE!
On the horizon, you can look for future interview with the new barbarian metal band THE CIMMERIAN, who come down from Crom's mountain to talk with DR. MALITY. Also get ready for another Theron Moore special, as he talks to Canada's maniacal thrashers TERRIFIER. And of course we will also have the infamous Wormwood "Top 10 Lists", this time focused on the best of 2024!
Here's the first Torture Chamber of 2025, stuffed with musical mayhem of all types!
OPETH "The Last Will And Testament"
ELECTRIC WIZARD "Black Magic Rituals and Perversions, Vol. 1"
GUTLESS "High Impact Violence"
STORACE "Crossfire"
CRUCIFICTION "Will To Power"
THE LACONIC "Ascension"
PUTRED "Megalit al Putrefactiei"
JARNBORD "Filmer for Blinda"
HORSE BUTCHER "Horse Butcher" EP
WE END 2024 WITH A MIGHTY BLAST FROM ENFORCED!
Another year gets flushed down the great cosmic toilet. Here at Wormwood we close things out with a hellacious racket, as DR. MALITY interviews Virginia's unstoppable thrash warriors ENFORCED. Specifically, he talks to vocalist KNOX COLBY about the incredible RIchmond VA metal scene, the band's latest EP "A Leap Into the Dark" and a scary "Spinal Tap" moment where Knox almost wound up almost incarcerated in a forgotten room. Grab on to this hair-raising chat HERE!
The last Torture Chamber of 2024 is suitably wild, featuring grave diggers, naked whippers and shrieking demons...and that's just a start!
GRAVE DIGGER "Bone Collector"
NAKED WHIPPER "Chapel Defilement"
IMPELLITTERI "War Machine"
SHRIEKING DEMONS "The Festering Dwellers"
ORNATORPET "Fordomdags"
IGNITOR "Horns and Hammers"
SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH THE WATCHER!
At this festive time of the year, there's nothing better than a dose of. doom-laden heavy metal to lift your spirits. That brings us to Boston-based band THE WATCHER and COLONEL ANGUS' interview with them. He speaks with bassist MAX FURST, who is quite the well-spoken chap. Max tells us how THE WATCHER nails down the sound of early heavy metal, the influence of obscure NWOBHM bands, and what lies ahead. You can hear what he had to say HERE!
Just want to take a moment away from my usual transplant experiments to wish all of you a Happy Holiday season no matter what holiday you enjoy. 2024 was a pretty good year for Wormwood and we plan on making 2025 equally rewarding, if not more so.
And now for a cheerful dose of the Torture Chamber, overflowing with sonic goodies...
MORK GRYNING "Fasornas Tid"
BEDSORE "Dreaming the Strife For Love"
NASTY SAVAGE "Jeopardy Room"
KINGS OF MERCIA "Battle Scars"
IAN BLURTON'S FUTURE NOW "Crimes of the City"
POWERMAN 5000 "Abandon Ship"
BLACK CURSE "Burning In Celestial Poison"
TEDDY HORSE "A Guide To Wild Hedges"
MISANTHROPIC AGGRESSION "Insect Politics"
AN EVENING WITH KING DIAMOND & FRIENDS!
Once in a great whiole, you're lucky enough to see a tour where everything clicks and every band delivers its best. In 2024, that tour had to be KING DIAMOND, who hit the road with OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON to put on a spectacular show. Wormwood was lucky enough to catch the performance at the beautiful Riverside Theater in downtown Milwaukee and you get to read all about it here! KING put on a masterful and highly theatrical show, while OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON managed to just tear everything up. We've got some exclusive pics from the gig as well...see it all HERE!
Christmas and New Year's are approaching but there is no rest for the wicked. The Wormwood schedule may be slightly disrupted but we don't plan on missing any time! What a conscientious and hard working bunch we are...HAH!!!
The Torture Chamber is another wild and woolly affair this week...
RATS OF GOMORRAH "Infectious Vermin"
GRAND MAGUS "Sunraven"
SCHAMMASCH "The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean"
DEMON BITCH "Masters of the Game"
BOMBUS "Your Blood"
ALKYMIST "UnnDerr"
BACK IN ACTION WITH MANIC ABRAXAS, MOVIE REVIEWS & MORE!
The mass turkey slaughter and consumption is done and Wormwood Laboratories is back in business...with a vengeance! First off is my interview with one of the most eccentric and interesting metal bands in America, Maine's MANIC ABRAXAS! These guys are a real hidden gem with a sound that draws on more influences than Matt Gaetz has teenage bimbos, best heard on their latest platter, "Skinformation"! I talk to DALLAS SEGER, JUSTIN HAMM and TOM BENNETT about their unusual style, what Maine is like as a metal haven, and much more. Read HERE for all the "skinfo" you need!
DARK STARR has also been busy! He has two new movie reviews for us! First up is a look at "H.P. LOVECRAFT'S WITCH HOUSE"! Does it do the master's original tale justice? Find out HERE! Then he dives into the cult Halloween classic "TRICK R' TREAT"! Find out if this is a nice big chocolate bar...or an apple with a razor blade! Read HERE for the answer! In more Dark Starr news, he also tells me he's got an interview with instrumental progsters from Northern Illinois, THE LACONIC! Several other interviews are being worked on by all and sundry, so stay tuned!
And of course we have an extra sized Torture Chamber for you, with bands all over the genre map!
CAPILLA ARDIENTE "Where Gods Live And Men Die"
NACHTMYSTIUM "Blight Privilege"
D-A-D "Speed Of Darkness"
BARREN "The Hanged Man"
MELTED BODIES "The Inevitable Fork"
TAROT "A Glimpse of the Dawn"
PLOUGHSHARE "Second Wound"
GOTHO "Gothron Vs. Fartark"
STENCHED "Purulence Gushing From The Coffin"
MEET CLEVELAND'S CRUNCH CREW OLATHIA + SPECIAL HOLIDAY NOTE
SPINAL TAP might have no idea where the hell Cleveland is, but OLATHIA will be quick to tell you....it's their home! This up and coming band has all the tools to reach a lot of different metal audiences. THERON MOORE got ahead of the herd and interviewed the band...charismatic frontwoman CHRIS E., guitarist DYLAN ANDRAS and bass beater TERRY BULL It's a cool conversation about what makes the Cleveland metal scene so strong as well as the history of the band and their plans for the future. Read all about it HERE!
Also, the eminent COLONEL ANGUS tells me he talked to another fast rising metal band called THE WATCHER....so WATCH for that in the future as well, pun intended.
Thanksgiving Week is almost upon us and that means extra long hours for Ye Olde Editor. That means we may be taking a week off or at the least, offer a reduced update. Just to let you know. When I return to this location, I will reveal the mystery of WORMVISION...it's worth waiting for!
This week's Torture Chamber includes the super heavy, the super weird and the return of a classic doom metal band!
THE GATES OF SLUMBER "The Gates of Slumber"
SLEEPLESS "Through Endless Black"
DEFEATED SANITY "Chronicles Of Lunacy"
ORANSSI PAZUZU "Muuntautaja"
FESTERGORE "Constellations of Endless Blight"
BUTCHER "On Fowl of Tyrant Wing"
"HELLO, AND I AM ALL COLOURS SAM..."
This week, the Weird World of Wormwood gets weirder than ever before as the Good Doctor takes a detailed look at one of the most surreal paranormal tales ever told....the story of "ALL COLOURS SAM" the mysterious SANDOWN CLOWN! Yep, it's time for another edition of the Wormwood Files. Who exactly was Sam The Sandown Clown? Was he an alien? A robot? A ghost? A demented clown? A hoax? Or just the imagination of two English kids who encountered him one sunny day in 1973? Get all the details on this case of "high strangeness" HERE! Get ready for a wild ride!
Speaking of wild rides, I can announce an interview with one of the original voices of death metal, Mr. KAM LEE of MASSACRE! Kam has been there since the beginning and he pulls no punches in his take on MASSACRE! Something to look forward to! I think I will also be doing a report on an unjustly overlooked 50's horror movie, "THE HAUNTED STRANGLER", which features one of Boris Karloff's best performances. Lots of announcements coming soon...including the debut of WORMVISION! What's that? You'll find out...
And now for another off the wall edition of The Torture Chamber!
ENSIFERUM "Winter Storm"
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY "The Nothing That Is"
OLD WAINDS "Stormheart"
OVERT ENEMY "Insurrection"
THE CROWN "Crown Of Thorns"
THY CATAFALQUE "XII: A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek”
WE THRASH IT UP WITH NERVOSA!
It is rare any more that the Good Doctor gets to talk to anybody face to face and rarer still when he hooks up with women as talented and beautiful as NERVOSA! This female thrash squad has been laying down the law for years now and on the very first night of their first headlining tour in the United States, I got to hobnob with PRIKA, HELENA and GABRIELA! Later that night they laid waste to the Blades of Steel fest, but first they talked about their tumultuous history, Prika's unexpected journey to lead singer and the state of women in metal. I REALLY enjoyed this one...check it out HERE!
As I hinted before, LOTS of Wormwood news! I just saw one of the best live metal tours of the year in Milwaukee featuring KING DIAMOND, OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON! Expect a live report and lots of photos from the gig soon! The ever-busy THERON MOORE has grabbed another interview, this time with up and comers BRONZE and their own female fury, MINA WALKURE! Plus DARK STARR will have some juicy new movie reviews for us, looking at H.P. Lovecraft's "WITCH HOUSE" and a perfect film for the Halloween season, "TRICK R TREAT"! Should have even more juicy tidbits for you soon, including something fun that will bring Wormwood to a whole new audience! Stay tuned!
This week's Torture Chamber has a real interesting mixture of bands!
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER "Servitude"
PAGANIZER "Flesh Requiem"
THE WATCHER "Out of the Dark"
ALUK TODOLO "Lux"
TRELLDOM "...By the Shadows"
THE SCEPTER TAKE COMMAND!
We talk to a lot of great veteran bands here at Wormwood Laboratories, but we also like to keep an eye out for fresh new talent. Such a band is THE SCEPTER from Toronto, Canada. THERON MOORE was sharp enough to find these guys and he interviews the entire band here. They draw from the classic age of metal to come up with a ripping new sound...get all the details HERE and get a jump on the rest of the public, because these dudes might be big news soon...
Got some pretty crushing bands in the new Torture Chamber and some quite progressive ones as well...
VISION DIVINE "Blood And Angel's Tears"
MASSACRE "Necrolution"
DIATI "Diati" EP
THE WRING "Nemesis"
MOLDER "Catastrophic Reconfiguration"
ORYX "Primordial Sky"
WE VISIT THE MORGUE TO MEET DECEASED!
Your macabre pal DR. MALITY is no stranger to death, but even I got a little chill when I ventured into the morgue to speak to KING FOWLEY of DECEASED! King proved to be his usual amiable stuff but our conversation definitely veered into the morbid, as we discussed the finer points of the new DECEASED album "Children of the Morgue". The album focuses on death in a much different way than most death metal albums do, as King explains. We also talk about the 40 year legacy of the band and one of the better "Spinal Tap" moments we've had in a while. If you're not afraid of a little demise, read more about it HERE!
Some new projects are in the works and we hope to have more details for you humanoids soon! Stay tuned to this channel!
The Torture Chamber this week is not only extra large, but extra LOUD as well!
NILE "The Underworld Awaits Us All"
LOUDBLAST "Altering Fates and Destinies"
GAEREA "Coma"
GOD BULLIES "As Above, So Below"
ASTRAL DOORS "The End Of It All"
GIGAN "Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus"
INVOCATION "The Archaic Sanctuary"
PSYCHLONA "Warped Vision"
MUTANT BLAST "Soulsteeler"
AN INTERVIEW THAT WILL LEAVE YOU INTRANCED!
COLONEL ANGUS introduces us to an exciting new band that sums up the California heavy metal experience, INTRANCED! This band has got some pretty deep roots in that scene, including their outstanding vocalist JAMES-PAUL LUNA, who once sang for HOLY GRAIL and WHITE WIZZARD. Angus chats with drummer BEN RICHARDSON about their debt to the 80's scene, their connection to Latino metal fans and their killer new record, "Muerte y Metal". He's definitely got something to say about all those subjects and more. Find out more HERE!
Just a reminder....we have a bunch of other interviews on the way, including DECEASED, BLAKEARTH, MANIC ABRAXAS, OLATHIA, NERVOSA, ENFORCED, THE SCEPTRE and more....Wormwood never sleeps!
The Torture Chamber is all over the place musically this week. Take a look for yourself!
SWEET "Full Circle"
RIPPED TO SHREDS "Sanshi"
SYKOFANT "Sykofant"
OCEANS OF SLUMBER "Where Gods Fear to Speak"
GRENDEL'S SYSTER "Katabasis Into the Abaton"
HORNA "Nyx--Hymneja Yolle"
A HEAVY DUTY RUNDOWN OF BLADES OF STEEL IV!
Almost every year for the last 20 years, we've reviewed the big underground metal festivals promoted by RANDY KASTNER in Southern Wisconsin, starting with the NYDM SPRING BASH fests and continuing with BLADES OF STEEL! It's time now to dive into the fourth edition of Blades, which featured such names as NIGHT DEMON, EXHORDER, NERVOSA, EYEHATEGOD, LIEGE LORD and many more! DR. MALITY was there for almost every single minute and brings you the goods on this great experience of underground metal, including a ton of exclusive pics! Buckle up and click HERE for the whole story!
This week's Torture Chamber boasts a visit from OBNOXIOUS YOUTH, MINDLESS SINNER and the gnarly ENFORCED, the latter of which will have an interview here soon!
POUNDER "Thunderforged"
ENFORCED "A Leap Into The Dark" EP
MINDLESS SINNER "Metal Merchants"
OBNOXIOUS YOUTH "Burning Savage"
THE OTHER SUN "Daimon, Devil, Dawn"
SENTIENT HORROR "In Service To The Dead"
WE DIVE INTO THE OCEANS OF NIGHT!
This week the enigmatic DARK STARR gets to speak to one of the unsung heroes of progressive metal, MR. SCOTT MOSHER, in connections with his band OCEANS OF NIGHT. Anyone into the likes of RUSH and DREAM THEATER should dig this project, which has just released its' first album in quite a while, entitled "Mindstorm". Scott seems to be a humble character with a dry wit and sense of self-deprecating humor. Check out this brief but highly informative chat HERE!
An extra length Torture Chamber including OCEAN OF NIGHT's "Mindstorm" is here for your inspection...
RON KEEL "Keelworld"
WINTERFYLLETH "The Imperious Horizon"
VICTORY "Circle Of Life"
HELVETETS PORT "Warlords"
OCEANS OF NIGHT "Mindstorm"
VENDED "Vended"
TEMPLE OF DREAD "God of The Godless"
VICIOUS BLADE "Relentless Force"
BARATHRUM "Uberkill"
A TALK WITH BASS LEGEND D.D. VERNI!
It's no secret that the mighty OVERKILL is a perennial favorite here in Worm-land. We've managed to talk to their personable frontman BOBBY BLITZ no less than 3 times. But we've never gotten around to speaking to fellow founding member bassist D.D. VERNI...until now! D.D. is a restless and creative guy with plenty of things going on, including his punk rock project VERNI, which just released a new album "Dreadful Company". I was beyond stoked to speak to the man about this album, as well as D.D.'s recovery from a troublesome injury, his big band project THE CADILLAC BAND and the possible revival of his Goth metal group, THE BRONX CASKET COMPANY! Find out what he had to say HERE!
Another big time interview is on the way to Wormwood! I got a connection with the red-hot thrash metal monsters ENFORCED and their manic frontman, KNOX COLBY! So look for that here along with more chats including NERVOSA, OCEANS OF NIGHT, DECEASED, BLAKEARTH and more!
Got a wide-ranging Torture Chamber for you this week, with a lot of well-known names!
DARK TRANQUILITY "Endtime Signals"
SATAN "Songs In Crimson"
WORSHIPPER "One Way Trip"
HAWKWIND "Stories From Time And Space"
MERCYLESS "Those Who Reign Below"
LORDS OF THE TRIDENT "V.G.E.P."
FEEL THE LETHAL BITE OF FER DE LANCE!
Ever heard of the Fer De Lance snake? It's one of the most lethal in the world, full of deadly venom. The same thing holds true for the Chicago metal band of the same name. This FER DE LANCE specializes in huge epic sounds in the vein of Viking-era BATHORY and MANOWAR. THERON MOORE recently gabbed with three members of this rising outfit...J. GEIST, RUSTY and M.P....and got some really juicy answers regarding their influences, past and future plans and their story so far. Click HERE to get all the poison from FER DE LANCE!
We've got a great and varied lineup in this week's Torture Chamber, with releases from the likes of STRYPER, FLOTSAM & JETSAM and MONUMENT OF MISANTHROPY!
STRYPER "When We Were Kings"
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM "I Am The Weapon"
AVMAKT "The Satanic Inversion Of..."
PHENOCRYST "Cremation Pyre"
MONUMENT OF MISANTHROPY "Vile Postmortem Irrumatio"
HOUKAGO GRIND TIME "Koncertos of Kawaiiness"
SANCTUARIUM "Melted And Decomposed"
MOOSE CULT "Book Of The Machines"
MIASMA OF OCCULT LIMBS "Occulta Caermonia Putridum"
WE REVIEW AIMEE: THE VISITOR AND DON'T LET HER IN
We venture back into the world of offbeat cinema with the help of DARK STARR this week. He takes a look at two underground films of more recent vintage. With "AIMEE: THE VISITOR", we have a very timely look at an AI intelligence that morphs into a sexy female stalker. Read about that one HERE! Then we turn to a different kind of femme fatale with "DON'T LET HER IN", the story of a Goth chick roommate who winds up taking her roomies to hell! Hook up with that one HERE!
Still working on a whole passel of new content for the site. In addition to the upcoming review of the BLADES OF STEEL fest, I'll also be reviewing a JUDAS PRIEST/SABATON gig playing around here soon. COLONEL ANGUS tells me he'll have a report on a KK'S PRIEST/HELSTAR show down in Houston. And I've determined that the subject for the next Wormwood Files will be the strangest alien entity encounter ever recorded, the bizarre tale of SAM THE SANDOWN CLOWN! Stay tuned for that one!
Some big name visitors in this week's Torture Chamber such as HAMMERFALL and DEEP PURPLE add spice to our weekly line-up of reviews...
HAMMERFALL "Avenge The Fallen"
WOLFBRIGADE "Life Knife Death"
DEEP PURPLE "=1"
DEATHLESS VOID "The Voluptuous Fire of Sin"
ADORIOR "Blood On My Teeth"
CHAINED SAINT "Blindside"
WORMWOOD ENCOUNTERS ANCIENT ENTITIES!
We are back in action after The Good Doctor spent a wild and woolly weekend in Madison for the annual BLADES OF STEEL fest! More on that in a while, but first, let me turn your attention to my interview with Milwaukee's ANCIENT ENTITIES! These guys are one of the fastest rising death metal bands in the state of Wisconsin and soon you'll be hearing much more from them. Fresh off a blistering set at MILWAUKEE METALFEST, I speak to lead singer BRIAN GUILFORD about that red-hot gig, the burgeoning Wisconsin metal scene and some important news about a record deal! Don't miss out on this chat HERE so you can say you knew the band when!
LOTS of news in Worm-land this week! You'll be reading all about my three day excursion to BLADES OF STEEL, where I saw such acts as NIGHT DEMON, LIEGE LORD, EXHORDER and many more. I did a lot more than just watch Brazil's all-female thrash squad NERVOSA...no, get your minds out of the gutter! I had a great talk with 3/4 of the band and you'll be seeing that interview here as well! Meanwhile, DARK STARR tells me he grabbed a talk with prog-metal institution OCEANS OF NIGHT. And super-busy THERON MOORE added yet another interview to his formidable stash, this time with a brand new band KINGDOM OF TYRANTS which arises from the ashes of STEEL ASSASSIN. We're working on even more, including a brand new Wormwood Files about our weirdest subject yet!
To make up for lost time, here's an extra juicy edition of the Torture Chamber...
IRONFLAME "Kingdom Torn Asunder"
BLACK LAVA "The Savage Winds To Wisdom"
DEMISER "Slave to the Scythe"
QUIESCENT MANTIS "Here Comes The Swarm!"
MAMMOTH CARAVAN "Frostbitten Galaxy"
HEMORRHOID "Raw Materials of Decay"
AZKETEM "Azketem"
KRYPT "Great Spawn of the Worms of the Earth"
YOSEMITE IN BLACK "The Pursuit Of"
TYPHONIAN "The Gates of the Veiled Beyond"
THE LATEST EDITION OF SOL'S SCREENERS + MEAN MISTREATER INTERVIEW!
Get the popcorn and Mad Dog 20-20 ready, it's time for another plunge into the world of strange cinema with SOLOMON G! This is the sixth edtion of Sol's Screeners and this time Sol has a lot of obscure and bloody giallos for you to read about..."MURDER IN A BLUE WORLD", "CRAZY DESIRES OF A MURDERER" and "THE DOLL OF SATAN"! And if that ain't enough, there's kung fu fantasy with "NA CHA THE GREAT"! Dive into this ocean of sleaze HERE! And watch out for gum on your sneakers!
It was an extra busy week at Wormwood, as THERON MOORE provides us with another interview...this time, with rough and ready traditional metallers MEAN MISTREATER! Theron speaks to guitarist QUINTEN LAWSON about the band's gritty 70's and 80's influences and much more! Read on HERE!
Just a note for you humanoids....there will be no update this coming weekend, as DR. MALITY makes his yearly trek to Madison, this time for BLADES OF STEEL IV, featuring NIGHT DEMON, EYEHATEGOD, LIEGE LORD and many more. We'll be back the following week and look out for a write up on the fest!
And now it's time for the one, the only, the patented Wormwood Torture Chamber!
SUPERMODEL TAXIDERMY "At What Cost?"
BLACK SITES "The Promised Land?"
KRYPTICY "The Non-Return"
PHAETHON "Wielder of the Steel"
DEATH RACER "From Gravel To The Grave"
WE CONDUCT A RUTHLESS INTERVIEW!
THERON MOORE dives deep into Southern California metal history this week as he talks to one of the area's longest lasting and most seasoned bands, RUTHLESS! This is not our first rodeo with these guys, but it's the first in a long time and also since their new album "The Fallen" was unleashed on the metal-hungry public. SAMMY DeJOHN has been the band leader since 1982 and has a lot to say about the band's storied past as well as its promising future. Catch what he has to say right HERE!
Speaking of interviews, we got some big ones on the way. I chat with the always garrulous KING FOWLEY of the legendary epic death metallers DECEASED, who are riding high on their new album "Children of the Morgue"! Not only that, but busy boy THERON has two more new interviews upcoming....one with Ohio's power-thrashers OLATHIA and another with a new entity called BLAK EARTH, which has connections to THRUST and TYRANT! And even more is being plotted as we speak!
An extra large Torture Chamber features a really wild assortment of bands, including one that I think may be the best of the year so far!
KRYPTOS "Decimator"
CRYPT SERMON "The Stygian Rose"
HAUNTED PLASMA "I"
ORANGE GOBLIN "Science, Not Fiction"
SKELETHAL "Within Corrosive Continuums"
MANIC ABRAXAS "Skinformation"
EVILYN "Mondestrunken"
TROG "Horrors Beyond"
NO ESCAPE FROM THE PENSACOLA SEA SERPENT!
It's been a while since we've dipped into the weird world of the Wormwood Files. Here's a new tale of the unknown for you to sink your fangs into and it's a doozy! It's the story of the most frightening cryptid encounter in history, the account of THE PENSACOLA SEA SERPENT! In 1962, this voracious sea beast attacked a group of five young men on a sea adventure...and only one survived! What happened that fateful night? You can read more about this nerve-racking case HERE!
This week, you're going to get a real STABBING PAIN from our Torture Chamber!
DREAM EVIL "Metal Gods"
200 STAB WOUNDS "Manic Manual Procedures"
THE STABBING JABS "The Stabbing Jabs"
GOD DETHRONED "The Judas Paradox"
PAIN "I AM"
VERNI "Dreadful Company"
HAVE SOME PIZZA WITH BELUSHI SPEED BALL!
If you like pizza with your thrash, join me as I party with the goons of BELUSHI SPEED BALL! This band of miscreants has become one of the most talked about bands in the underground with their insane shows full of raucous shenanigans and blazing crossover thrash. What has fueled their rise to the top? I ask lead vocalist VINNY CRASTELLANO all about the rise of BELUSHI, including asking about their most over the top show, their dedication to the DIY ethic and their theory about GARTH BROOKS being a serial killer. Grab a beer and a slice of deep dish and join me HERE as I put Vinny under the microscope!
Lots of news for fans of the Philm Phreaks section! A new edition of SOL'S SCREENERS is on the way, with SOLOMON G taking a close but irreverent look at these grindhouse staples: "Murder In A Blue World", "Crazy Desires of a Murderer", "The Doll of Satan" and "Na Cha The Great"! And if that ain't enough for you underground movie mavens, DARK STARR will also contribute reviews of some more recent indie horrors, "AIMee THE VISITOR" and "DON'T LET HER IN". And ol' DR. MALITY might be whipping up something in this vein soon as well!
This week's Torture Chamber is an extra-sized edition with bands both old and new!
ROTTING CHRIST "Pro Xristoy"
X-COPS "XCAB" EP
LACERATION "I Erode"
NEW HORIZON "Conquerors"
RHAPSODY OF FIRE "Challenge The Wind"
VANHELGD "Atropos Doctrina"
AGAINST EVIL "Give 'EM Hell"
INCIPIENT CHAOS "Incipient Chaos"
NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS "You and Your Friends Are Dead: Game Over" EP
SLUGCRUST "Discharged" EP
A MONSTER TOUR COMING YOUR WAY!
7.30.2024 @ 10_00am ET _ 7_00am PT KING DIAMOND Announces North American Headlining Tour With Support From Overkill And Night Demon + Guest Vocals By Myrkur_ Tickets On Sale This Friday.pdfTRAMPLED BY CLOVEN HOOF!
The Devil pays a visit to Wormwood Laboratories this week...OK, maybe not Old Nick himself, but probably the next best thing...English metal legends CLOVEN HOOF! This band has been kicking ass and clipping angel's wings since the earliest days of the NWOBHM back in the early 80's! They've hung tough and stayed true to their sound for all those years. Our boy THERON MOORE talks with bass player and original member LEE PAYNE about their outstanding new album "Heathen Cross" and their acquisition of new singer HARRY "THE TYRANT" CONKLIN, as well as their dedication to playing live in the studio to keep that authentic sound. Dive into this brief but revealing chat HERE!
In other interview news, I got a chat with Maine's strangest and heaviest band, MANIC ABRAXAS! These dudes are hard to describe but quirky beyond belief. You can add that to a list that includes BELUSHI SPEED BALL, MEAN MISTREATER, ANCIENT ENTITIES, D.D. VERNI of OVERKILL, FER DE LANCE and THE SCEPTER. And more to come....
A wild Torture Chamber has the first metal band from Togo in Africa, the debut of a new supergroup, the return of FU MANCHU and most appropriately, SEVERE TORTURE!
CATEGORY 7 "Category 7"
FU MANCHU "The Return of Tomorrow"
ARKA'N ASRAFOKOR "Dzikkuh"
SEVERE TORTURE "Torn From the Jaws of Death"
CAINITES "Revenant"
CARNOPHAGE "Matters of a Darker Nature"
DISCOVER THE WEIRD WORLD OF JERRY WARREN!
Wormwood is back in action and this week we plunge into the somnambulistic cinema of Hollywood's King of Cheap, JERRY WARREN! When it came to stretching a buck, Jerry made Roger Corman look like Cecil B. DeMille. He churned out a tidal wave of Z-grade cinema that included "The Wild World of Batwoman", "Teenage Zombies" and "Frankenstein Island". These slow-moving and fiscally challenged gems have to be seen to be believed...and The Good Doctor covers them all for you right HERE!
We've got a full slate of interviews and features coming your way shortly...expect an update here next week!
Our Torture Chamber this week includes DECEASED, SUNBOMB and the loathsome TSATTHOGGUA!
DECEASED "Children of the Morgue"
TSATTHOGGUA "We Are God"
SUNBOMB "Light Up The Sky"
GRAND DEMISE OF CIVILIZATION "The Blaze of Abaddon"
ELECTRIC PEACE "Shoot Me!!!"
THE INCANTUS "The Incantus"
GET YOUR FILL OF THE QUILL!
We've been lucky enough to talk to Sweden's classic hard rockers THE QUILL in the past. This time around, COLONEL ANGUS does the honors and speaks to the band's long-time guitarist ROGER NILSSON about their new album "Wheel of Illusion", their extremely varied influences and sticking with what you know. It's always a pleasure to speak to these guys, so read more HERE! Also, check out our boy SOLOMON G's live concert review of one of the heaviest tours ever, the "Death By Metal" tour featuring AMON AMARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, OBITUARY and FROZEN SOUL! Get Sol's take on this monumental event HERE!
Things remain really busy at Wormwood Laboratories as we continue to amass a ton of interesting material. Case in point: I just got an interview with bassgod D.D. VERNI best known for his work with legendary thrashers OVERKILL. D.D.'s got a new solo album out that features his more punk rock side and he's even working on a Big Band type of project! A very cool chat which you will see soon. Also, lots of movie related stuff coming down the pike...more later!
A note for you faithful humanoids. In mid-July, I'll be visiting Colorado for some relaxation after a hectic period of robbing graves and stitching up corpses. So if things get quiet for a week or so, you'll know the reason why!
The mighty DARKTHRONE leads off the latest Torture Chamber, which is full of dark and heavy sounds...
DARKTHRONE "It Beckons Us All"
HELLBUTCHER "Hellbutcher"
HYPERDONTIA "Harvest of Malevolence"
NIGHTMARE "Encrypted"
BRAZEN TONGUE "Of Crackling Embers and Sorrows Drowned"
OXYGEN DESTROYER "Guardian of the Universe"
WE REVIEW MILWAUKEE METALFEST 2024!
Last year saw the return of the great metal tradition, MILWAUKEE METALFEST. This year showed that was no fluke, as the festival returned with heavy hitters like BLIND GUARDIAN. POSSESSED, AUTOPSY, HAMMERFALL and many more both old and new. Of course your favorite knuckleheads at Wormwood were there to cover the action. DR. ABNER MALITY and THERON MOORE teamed up to give you a run down on the Friday and Saturday edition of the fest, complete with a lot of exclusive pics. Once you finish this write-up, you'll swear you were there yourself! Check it out HERE!
More concert coverage will be forthcoming! We should soon have a report from SOLOMON G on the monstrous "DEATH BY METAL" tour with AMON AMARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE and more. We've got the "BLADES OF STEEL" fest coming up during Labor Day and the Good Doctor will be checking out JUDAS PRIEST and SABATON right in his own neck of the woods! In addition, you can add THE SCEPTRE to Theron Moore's big grab bag of interviews featuring CLOVEN HOOF, MEAN MISTREATER and FER DE LANCE! We are working on some pretty cool stuff in addition...stay tuned for further updates!
Speaking of CLOVEN HOOF, they can be found in this week's Torture Chamber, along with ANVIL, HUNTSMEN and more!
ANVIL "One And Only"
ANCIENT ENTITIES "Echoes of Annihilation"
HUNTSMEN "The Dry Land"
APES "Penitence"
HAWKESTREL "Chaos Rocks"
CLOVEN HOOF "Heathen Cross"
ENJOY THE GLOOM WITH MY DYING BRIDE!
I must admit, the blazing advent of summertime and 90 degree heat is not the ideal time to listen to England's Gothic and gloomy MY DYING BRIDE, but once you listen to them, everything suddenly become the waning days of October! Wormwood is very happy to provide this interview with the immortal doom masters to lower the temperature. Our own OCTOPI MILLS talks to long-time guitarist ANDREW CRAIGHAN about their latest album "A Mortal Binding", the effect of history and literature on their particular art and their unique brand of creativity. So grab an umbrella and read it HERE!
Indeed, the soldier ants of the Wormwood Hive are busier than ever! That industrious scribe THERON MOORE has been providing us with a ton of interviews lately and now we can add the melodic power metal sensations FER DE LANCE to the pile which already includes CLOVEN HOOF and MEAN MISTREATER! Our master of grindhouse film SOLOMON G will be contributing a concert review of the heaviest tour of the year featuring AMON AMARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, OBITUARY and more! And the Good Doctor can reveal he's snagged a chat with a Wisconsin band you will soon be hearing a lot more about, ANCIENT ENTITIES! And we have even more up our sleeve so stay tuned!
Our Torture Chamber this week is overstuffed with underground goodies of all varieties!
PORTRAIT "The Host"
GATECREEPER "Dark Superstition"
TERAMAZE "Eli: A Wonderful Fall From Grace"
NOCTURNUS A.D. "Unicursal"
SOIL "Restoration"
CRANIAL DISORDER "Congenital Depravity"
CASTLE RAT "Into The Realm"
KOMMANDANT "Ehibition of Conquest"
ONSLAUGHT KOMMAND "Visions of Blood and Gore"
WE DIVE DEEP INTO A TERMINAL NATION!
TERMINAL NATION from Little Rock, Arkansas, are the furious voice of a country tearing itself apart. Their violently angry mix of grind, death metal and hardcore seems perfectly matched to these chaotic times. I had some trepidation when I spoke to singer STAN LISZEWSKI, the roaring mouth of the band. What I got was one of my favorite interviews, where the well-spoken Mr. Liszewski talks about what fuels his barbed lyrics, all of the influences both obvious and surprising than go into TERMINAL NATION's sound and their latest blast of rage, "Echoes From The Devil's Den". Hear what he has to say and believe...right HERE!
THERON MOORE has sure been a busy beaver as of late! In addition to speaking to rising band MEAN MISTREATER, he now tells me he's interviewed one of the great bands of the NWOBHM, CLOVEN HOOF! So that's on the way, too! Plus he may be dipping his toe in the movie review section soon as well. Much more to announce soon!
This week's Torture Chamber seems particularly disposed to newer bands! Check it out!
BRODEQUIN "Harbingers of Woe"
HOLYCIDE "Towards Idiocracy"
NOCTURNA "Of Sorcery and Darkness"
SABIRE "Jatt"
INTRANCED "Muerte y Metal"
APE VERMIN "Andromedas Colossus"
QUEENSRYCHE...ARMORED SAINT...ISLAND ESCAPE!
A plethora of interesting tidbits awaits you in this week's edition of Wormwood! First up, I've got a live review of two heavy metal hitters playing a gorgeous old movie theater just a mile from my lab! QUEENSRYCHE and ARMORED SAINT are the two above-mentioned bands and they graced us with their high volume presence at the beautiful Coronado Theater this past April. Get the blow by blow lowdown on the show HERE, including many exclusive photos! I also want to direct you to another movie review by DARK STARR. This time, he looks at "Island Escape", an intriguing indie film mixing action, sci-fi and horror genres into one big shebang! Check that out HERE!
The ever busy THERON MOORE is at it again. Fresh off an interview with MEAN MISTREATER, he now offers us a chat with veteran metalheads RUTHLESS. That gives us another chat in a pile that already has MY DYING BRIDE, BELUSHI SPEED BALL, THE QUILL and TERMINAL NATION on tap. And more yet to come...
If you like a lot of variety in your underground music, this week's Torture Chamber should float your boat...
MUTIILATION "Black Metal Cult"
THE ANTIKAROSHI "L'Inertie Polaire"
HOLY MOTHER "Rise"
FORTUNATO "From High Above"
UFOMAMMUT "Hidden"
ENTER THE CRYPTIC WORLD OF A VISION BLEAK!
SSSSThe old iron gate swings open...an owl hoots in the distance...and a thick fog clings to the tombstones as we enter the darkened realm of A VISION BLEAK! These German explorers of the strange and eerie return to the pages of Wormwood, as I interrogate SCHWADORF, the guiding hand of AVB, about the duo's new album "Weird Tales", which is inspired by the legendary dark fantasy magazine. We talk about both the album and magazine, as well as Schwadorf's plan behind making the album one colossal track. Those who love heavy music with a sinister atmosphere need to read further HERE!
Speaking of the weird, we have a movie review by DARK STARR on tap this week as well. He looks at the "found footage" horror spoof "Woods Witch", inspired by the classic "Blair With Project". Is it worth your time? Get the answer HERE! Also want to let you know that THERON MOORE has snagged a chat with blistering true metal band MEAN MISTREATER, so look for that in the weeks ahead as well. We are working on some really major league stuff which I need to keep mum about until it's in our greasy little hands...stay tuned!
An extra-sized Torture Chamber features more music rooted in the macabre as well as the debut of a great new local Northern Illinois band!
WRAITH "Fueled By Fear"
BELUSHI SPEED BALL "Stellkira"
EVERGREY "Theories of Emptiness"
ZOMBEAST "Heart of Darkness"
GODEN "Vale of the Fallen"
THE LURKING CORPSES "Lurking After Midnight"
SWELLING REPULSION "Fatally Misguided"
DYSTOLOGY "Natural Instinct"
SWAMPBEAST "Offering of Chaos, Lamenting In the Blood of Man"
MADZILLA IS ON THE RAMPAGE!
This week Wormwood takes a trip to the Sin City of Las Vegas to encounter the city's hottest metal export, MADZILLA! This four piece shows a lot of promise in appealing to seasoned headbangers and standard rock fans both. I talk to guitarist/vocalist DAVID CABEZAS about their very rapid rise, their major shows playing with SAXON and SOULFLY and the concept behind their latest album "A Deadly Threat"! Despite their aggressive sound, David was pretty easy to talk to; you can read the chat HERE!
This week's Torture Chamber wound up being maybe the heaviest ever, with the likes of DEICIDE, ABORTED and CARDIAC ARREST shredding eardrums and nerve cells!
ABORTED "Vault of Horrors"
DEICIDE "Banished By Sin"
CARDIAC ARREST "The Stench of Eternity"
COFFIN STORM "Arcana Rising"
BLACK TUSK "The Way Forward"
PRAYING MANTIS "Defiance"
LOTS OF NEWS AND A LOADED TORTURE CHAMBER!
It's been a really hectic week at Wormwood Central! THERON MOORE and myself spent some time at the madhouse known as MILWAUKEE METALFEST, which was full of acts like DEICIDE, NUNSLAUGHTER, BLIND GUARDIAN, HAVOK and more. You better believe you will be getting a report from us on this sinister soiree! I'm also super happy to announce that the enigmatic OCTOPI MILLS snatched an interview with England's overlords of gloomy Gothic doom, MY DYING BRIDE! That's a biggie! And that's not all! COLONEL ANGUS got a chat with Swedish super-rockers THE QUILL! And I've figured out what the next Wormwood Files will be...,a look at the most deadly cryptic encounter in history, the PENSACOLA SEA SERPENT incident of 1962! This is in addition to other upcoming features like interviews with THE VISION BLEAK, TERMINAL NATION, and MADZILLA and some new twisted film reviews as well! It's busy here in the depths of Hell!
Due to all the hub-bub this last week, we didn't post a major feature, but we did vomit up a loaded version of the Torture Chamber, with reviews of BLUE OYSTER CULT, COFFINS, RIOT V and more!
BLUE OYSTER CULT "Ghost Stories"
COFFINS "Sinister Oath"
RIOT V "Mean Streets"
HEAVY TEMPLE "Garden of Heathens"
BLAZE OF PERDITION "Upharsin"
DEMON "Invincible"
FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS...SOL'S SCREENERS ARE BACK!
It's been a while since our favorite grindhouse reprobate SOLOMON G has dropped by, but the drought is over at last! The fifth edition of SOL'S SCREENERS is here, as Sol puts four more obscure cinematic excursions under his microscope. This time, he looks at 1985's "BITS AND PIECES", 1980'S "BLOOD BRIDE", 2000's nunsploitation epic "THE CONVENT" and 1975's pseudo-giallo "FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON"! Which of these bits of celluloid flotsam is worth keeping....and which needs a burial at sea? Let Sol tell you HERE!
Just a note for you Worm-fiends...The Good Doctor will be attending this week's edition of MILWAUKEE METALFEST along with MR. THERON MOORE. This might cause a delay in the clockwork like efficiency of Wormwood, so sit tight if there's no update this weekend. I can tell you that plenty of cool stuff is on the way in the meantime!
Now for an extra-special, extra-sized edition of the Wormwood Torture Chamber....
MY DYING BRIDE "A Mortal Binding"
TERMINAL NATION "Echoes of the Devil's Den"
DAATH "The Deceivers"
DEATHWISH "The Fourth Horseman"
RAGE "Afterlifelines"
FLUIDS "Reduced Capabilities"
ABSCISSOR "Metanoia"
THE WIZARDS "The Exit Garden"
MOONBLADDER "Dark Sky Equilibrium"
PREPARE FOR THE ONSLAUGHT OF HELL'S HEROES!
One of the biggest metal events of the year has to be the annual HELL'S HEROES fest originating in Houston, Tejas. This carnival of destruction is growing to rival Maryland Deathfest in scope and Wormwood's own Steel Cowboy, COLONEL ANGUS, is lucky enough to live right in Houston. So we've got the most complete coverage of the festival anywhere on the web, with tons of killer pics from Angus to accompany it. Some of the names at this year's fest included CANDLEMASS, QUEENSRYCHE, SODOM, (all pictured above!) AUTOPSY, WATCHTOWER, DORO and about thirty more! After you read Angus' report HERE, you'll feel like you actually were there!
My ears were recently blasted and my soul was scorched by the latest from Arkansas' grind demons TERMINAL NATION! Their new one is one of the angriest records ever recorded! So naturally I grabbed an interview with their bull-roaring frontman STAN LISZEWSKI! Look for that to appear in these hallowed pages down the road! Also got some other MAJOR interviews in the works...
Some old friends drop into the Torture Chamber this week, most notably ACCEPT and ATTACKER!
ACCEPT "Humanoid"
VULTURE "Sentinels"
ATTACKER "The God Particle"
PENTAGRAM (CHILE) "Eternal Life of Madness"
THE QUILL "Wheel Of Illusion"
SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE "Arkanum"
MEET BLACK METAL NOMADS, DARKESTRAH!
Thundering across the steppes in the dead of night comes Kyrgyzstan's unholy minstrels, DARKESTRAH! This one of a kind band takes the ancient sounds of the Great Silk Road and brings them to the 21st century with the fury of black metal! This week I speak to two of DARKESTRAH's sturdy nomads, ASBATH and CERRITUS. They speak of how they put this unique outfit together, how it relates to the legacy of Kyrgysstan, and their massive new album, "Nomad". I'm sure this will be on my year-end list and it was a pleasure to speak to these warriors. Hear what they have to say HERE!
I don't think you could find a band more opposite to DARKESTRAH than the pizza-obsessed thrash goons BELUSHI SPEED BALL, but that's who we'll be talking to next. These guys are taking the scene by storm with their fierce yet funny brand of thrashing mayhem. So look for that soon! Also, it looks like we will be getting some more movie reviews from DARK STARR, who will tackle a couple of indie favorites, "Island Escape" and "Woods Witch". That's in addition to the new SOL'S SCREENERS from Solomon G and my look at the supreme movie hack, JERRY WARREN! All this and more forthcoming....
An extra-sized Torture Chamber gets really dark this time around!
STARGAZER "Bound By Spells"
WITCH VOMIT "Funeral Sanctum"
DARKNESS "Blood On Canvas"
FRIENDS OF HELL "God Damned You To Hell"
LHAAD "Beneath"
VLTIMAS "Epic"
PESTILENGTH "Solar Clorex"
CRAWL "Altar of Disgust"
CANCERVO "III"
AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. RAY ALDER!
Recently COLONEL ANGUS had the distinct pleasure of speaking to one of metal's most respected vocalists, the legendary RAY ALDER! Ray has been known for his work with FATES WARNING, REDEMPTION, ENGINE, A-Z, and most recently, NORTH SEA ECHOES. He talks about the very different approach of that latter band as well as memories and stories from his 30 year plus career. You can peruse this highly enjoyable chat HERE!
Speaking of the esteemed COLONEL ANGUS, he will also soon be giving us the lowdown on the colossal HELL'S HEROES festival in Houston. This shindig featured CANDLEMASS, SODOM, AUTOPSY, SOLITUDE AETURNUS and a boatload of other loud and lethal acts...Angus sent me no less than 300 photos from the fest! You won't see all of them, but you'll see a lot! And also, SOL'S SCREENERS will soon be returning to Wormwood, with SOLOMON G really dredging up some nasty and obscure flicks to put under the microscope. Should have some major interview news soon as well...
The Torture Chamber this week features the Gothic, the progressive and the downright brutal...
DESOLUS "System Shock"
BLAZAR "Fatal Cosmic Wound"
LEAVES' EYES "Myths of Fate"
THE VISION BLEAK "Weird Tales"
DELIRIA "Phantasm"
MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES SPEAK FROM THE GRAVE!
Grim tidings are in store for this week's Wormwood Chronicles update. We return to the somber cemeteries of Iowa to speak with Dubuque's death metal masters MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES! This is my second chat with singer/guitarist JOSH DEMUTH and he's more decayed than ever. A lot of gore has flowed under the bridge since our last talk, so there's a lot to catch up on, including the killer (ahem) new MBZ record "Scenes From The Afterlife". You can get up to speed with everything in the MUTILATED world right HERE!
Incoming! I confirm that I will have an interview with Las Vegas' fast-rising melodic thrashers MADZILLA soon! These guys are a must if you're into METALLICA and MEGADETH! And yes, the Good Doctor also managed to see QUEENSRYCHE and ARMORED SAINT live at the historic Coronado Theater in beautiful downtown Rockford. Expect a report on that event as well. Should soon have some more news to report...
Torture Chamber features some oddball recordings from FURZE and KOLGA as well as the aforementioned MADZILLA!
REPLICANT "Infinite Mortality"
NECROT "Lifeless Birth"
KOLGA "Black Tides"
FURZE "Caw Entrance"
BLAK29 "The Waiting"
MADZILLA "A Deadly Threat"
A LIVE LOOK AT GEOFF TATE AND VANDENBERG!
It's been a while since we've done a live concert review, but COLONEL ANGUS has ridden to the rescue! He recently saw not one but two gigs featuring the velvet voice of rock, GEOFF TATE, and the silver strings of VANDENBERG! He gives us a blow by blow lowdown on the event, with a ton of glitzy photos to boot! You can see what it's all about HERE! Speaking of live reviews, the Colonel will soon have a rundown of the HELL'S HEROES festival, while I cover a QUEENSRYCHE/ARMORED SAINT gig just a few minutes from now. And more on the way soon...
Speaking of Colonel Angus, he grabbed an interview with one of hard rock's greatest singers, MR. RAY ALDER, once of FATES WARNING and now of REDEMPTION and NORTH SEA ECHOES. Look for that tantalizing treat soon! And I will be doing a new Philm Phreaks article about the cheapest of the cheap, the director who throws nickels around like manhole covers, the infamous JERRY WARREN! BEWARE!
The new Torture Chamber travels a path from the sonic horror of IRON MONKEY to the steampunk tones of METRO SOCIETY...and everywhere in between!
DUST BOLT "Sound And Fury"
IRON MONKEY "Spleen and Goad"
METRO SOCIETY "The London Conspiracy Chapter One: 1898"
SUICIDAL ANGELS "Profane Prayer"
DISTRICT 97 "Stay For The Ending"
WRISTMEETRAZOR "Degeneration"
OPEN UP YOUR YELLOW EYES!
YELLOW EYES from New York City are for sure a very different kind of band. They are often associated with the black metal genre, but this is just a beginning frame of reference that doesn't encapsulate their sound. This is heard nowhere better than on their recent effort "Master's Murmur", which ventures into tones and sounds not often associated with black metal...or metal of any kind, for that matter. Our own OCTOPI MILLS was entranced with this effort and so we now bring you an interview with SAM SKARSTAD, one of the prime movers of YELLOW EYES. I think you will find this a most stimulating conversation...click HERE and see if you agree!
Our Torture Chamber this week is also pretty far-ranging, as you'll find out below!
HIDEOUS DIVINITY "Unextinct"
EXHORDER "Defectum Omnium"
NEW MODEL ARMY "Unbroken"
ISCHEMIC "Condemned To the Breaking Wheel"
SLIMELORD "Chrytridiomycosis Relinquished"
GOST "Prophecy"
EVIL PUPPETS AND DEMONIC TOYS INVADE WORMWOOD!
Who needs Chucky when you can have a whole room full of DEMONIC TOYS and EVIL PUPPETS? Wormwood's resident Full Moon fanatic reviews two classic features from that cult company that deal with the dark side of kid's playthings. First, he looks at DEMONIC TOYS: JACK ATTACK, where the sinister clown in the box leads an assault by possessed toys. Check that one out HERE! And then he looks at the greatest hits of the legendary Puppet Master franchise with PUPPET MASTER: THE LEGACY. Find out what Pinhead and the gang are up to HERE!
Big news this week! I got an interview with the amazing Kyrgyz black metal/folk metal combo DARKESTRAH, who have released one of the best albums of the year in "Nomad". Then we go from the steppes of Kyrgyzistan to the cornfields of Iowa, for a new interview with our undead friends MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES! Also, the live reviews are on the way. COLONEL ANGUS should have a report on a gig featuring GEOFF TATE and VANDENBERG, as well as an in-depth report on Houston's HELL'S HEROES fest, featuring SODOM, QUEENSRYCHE, CANDLEMASS and many more! Whew! And I should have something on a QUEENRYCHE/ARMORED SAINT concert very close to Wormwood Laboratories! No rest for the wicked around here!
This week's Torture Chamber features no less than the mighty JUDAS PRIEST!
JUDAS PRIEST "Invincible Shield"
FIREWIND "Stand United"
MORTA SKULD "Creation Undone"
OZRIC TENTACLES "Lotus Unfolding"
CELL PRESS "Cages"
VIRCOLAC "Veneration"
NEVER REBORN "Ashes Of Our Past"
PUNCHING MOSES "Live Short And Suffer"
SEPTAGE "Septic Worship"
ENTER THE CYBERZONE WITH DISSIMULATOR!
The 21st century and its myriad problems have created a lot of dystopian metal bands. One of the absolute best is a new one hailing from Montreal known as DISSIMULATOR! These three cyborgs have unleashed a torrent of headbanging riffs as well as tales of technology gone berserk on their killer debut album "Lower Form Resistance", which we reviewed HERE! I entered the ultra-net for a conversation with guitarist/vocalist CLAUDE LEDUC about the origins of the band, their unusual influences and the meaning behind "Lower Form Resistance". I think this bunch is going to be a name to reckon with in the future, so jump aboard HERE so you can say you were among the first to be converted!
The distinguished BRUCE DICKINSON visits the Torture Chamber this week, among other bands of more than passing interest...
BRUCE DICKINSON "The Mandrake Project"
DARKESTRAH "Nomad"
HANDS OF GORO "Hands of Goro"
NECROWRETCH "Swords of Dajjal"
VOLCANDRA "The Way of Ancients"
STRESS ANGEL "Punished By Nemesis"
SWALLOW A DOSE OF MORBID SAINT!
Better put on some asbestos underwear because MORBID SAINT is breathing hellfire! The long time Wisconsin death-thrashers are more rabid than ever on their new album "Swallowed By Hell"...which means it was the perfect time for our boy THERON MOORE to sit down with them for a chat. He talked to guitarist JIM FERGADES about their curious connection to DEATH and CHUCK SCHULDINER, their rocky road to their present success and of course, that new album. The band are a genuine monument of Midwest metal history, so read on and peruse the interview HERE!
Some new for you Worm-fiends! The enigmatic OCTOPI MILLS tells me he's got an interview with a band that makes him look mainstream, New York's eclectic sound architects YELLOW EYES! That will surely be something worth waiting for! And Yours Truly the Good Doctor is expecting a talk with the band SENTRY...who are the heirs to the beloved epic metal band MANILLA ROAD! And DARK STARR will have some films reviews for cult favorites "PUPPETMASTER: THE LEGACY" and "DEMONIC TOYS: JACK ATTACK". So things are starting to pop around here...and I can promise more to come!
Now get ready to rip into one of the biggest and most diverse Torture Chambers we've done in a while!
ATROPHY "Asylum"
MIDNIGHT "Hellish Expectations"
MYSTFALL "Celestial Vision"
MUTILATED BY ZOMBIES "Scenes From The Afterlife"
ILLUMISHADE "Another Side Of You"
HYPOXIA "Defiance"
VORGA "Beyond The Palest Star"
CONTAMINATED "Celebratory Beheading"
RAW WAR "Total Raw War"
EXPLORE THE MYSTERIES OF TIMESLIPS!
Time once more for Dr. Mality to dive into the world of the unknown...and this time it's really time, if you know what I mean. I look at perhaps the strangest and most mind-boggling paranormal phenomena of all...TIMESLIPS! Can people suddenly find themselves in another time without warning? Many people have experienced this curious event. In this latest Wormwood Files article, we look at the cases of people who say they wound up in medieval England, Revolution-era France and Liverpool in the Swinging Sixties! What's going on with these trips in time? Find out HERE!
The Torture Chamber this week has what will likely be the last album from the UK's MAGNUM as well as new stuff from MINISTRY, MESSIAH and more! "M" seems to be the letter of the week!
MAGNUM "Here Comes The Rain"
MINISTRY "Hopiumforthemasses"
SATURNALIA TEMPLE "Paradigm Call"
HOUSE OF ATREUS "Orations"
MESSIAH "Christus Hypercubus"
meth "Shame"
WE FLY HIGH WITH THE UK'S LIONHEART!
COLONEL ANGUS recently made his way to Old Blighty to shoot the breeze with one of England's longest running and most respected hard rock bands, LIONHEART UK! He spoke to guitarist STEVE MANN, who has been with the band since 1980! The Good Doctor was just an intern at ghoul school back then! Steve turned out to be a great guy to talk to, with plenty of stories of how the band has weathered all the shifting musical tides throughout the years, as well as the interesting story behind their newest album "The Grace of A Dragonfly". You can see the results of the chat HERE!
This week we've got an extra sized Torture Chamber to keep you busy!
IHSAHN "Ihsahn"
SENTRY "Sentry"
JARHEAD FERTILIZER "Carceral Warfare"
STRIKER "Ultrapower"
DEVASTATOR "Conjurors of Cruelty"
ULFARR "Orlegsceaft"
EXECUTUS "The Black Throne of Chaos Abandoned"
MISANTHROPHI "Principles of Cosmicism and Decimation"
NEGATIVE PRAYER "Self/Wound"
BOW DOWN TO STYGIAN CROWN!
Few new doom bands are generating more of a buzz than SoCal's STYGIAN CROWN! These guys like it dark, deep and heavy and prove it on their new album "Funeral For A King". I delved into Hyborian crypts to speak with sultry singer MELISSA PINION and skull-pounding drummer RHETT DAVIS! These dived deeply into their methods (and madness) when creating STYGIAN darkness! Heed my words and read all about these wearers of the CROWN right HERE!
Stay tuned to this spot for upcoming exciting news about what's in Wormwood's future! And if you want to check out our more than 25 year library of material, I urge you to check out the ARCHIVES which you can find in the Top Menu!
This week's Torture Chamber roams from the pensively atmospheric to the hideously gruesome!
NORTH SEA ECHOES "Really Good Terrible Things"
GHOUL "Noxious Concoctions" EP
RUTHLESS "The Fallen"
HASTURIAN VIGIL "Unveiling The Brac'thal"
TRANSIT METHOD "Othervoid"
DIPYGUS "Dipygus"
WORMWOOD TAKES KÖMMAND!
This week THERON MOORE grabs his gas mask and flak jacket and heads up into the rainy wilderness of Washington state, where he has a rendezvous with post-apocalyptic thrashers KÖMMAND! These guys are crude, unrefined and definitely NOT to be confused with the L.A. band of almost the same name. LOOK FOR THE UMLAUT! Theron speaks to KOMMANDER Z and DRAKK about the slow but steady path of this war machine and the hypothetical existence of a Washington "scene". The chat is loose and lethal like the band themselves and can be read HERE!
Look for a surge of live reviews in these parts pretty soon, including looks at Houston's HELL'S HEROES fest, QUEENSRYCHE and ARMORED SAINT at the venerable Coronado Theater and our return to Milwaukee for the 2024 edition of METALFEST! Plus maybe even more!
The mighty SAXON drop by for this week's Torture Chamber, joining a bevy of wild and woolly acts!
SAXON "Hell, Fire and Damnation"
DISSIMULATOR "Lower Form Resistance"
EARTHSIDE "Let The Truth Speak"
CANCER CHRIST "God Is Violence"
COLTRE "To See With Hands, To Touch With Eyes"
NECROTUM "Defleshed Exhumation"
CHECK OUT OUR BEST OF 2023 LISTS!
The whole world has been waiting with bated breath for this colossal day! The Wormwood Chronicles Writers present their BEST OF 2023 LISTS! A hallowed tradition at Wormwood Labs, it allows the general public to see what goes on in the twisted brains of this kooky crew. And this year's list is probably the most diverse ever, with very few common entries across the lists! As usual, I will now present the #1 picks of each writer. For the full lists, click on the link HERE!
COLONEL ANGUS RAY ALDER "II"
THERON MOORE JAG PANZER "The Hallowed"
DR. ABNER MALITY ENSLAVED "Heimdal"
DARK STARR HAWKWIND "The Future Never Waits"
THOR OVERKILL "Scorched"
OCTOPI MILLS IMMORTAL "War Against All"
IRON SHEIK KK'S PRIEST "The Sinner Rides Again"
LORD RANDALL OAK "Disintegrate"
The august COLONEL ANGUS informs me that he has gotten an interview with long-running British melodic rockers LIONHEART (UK)! Look for that to run here soon, along with chats from STYGIAN CROWN, KOMMAND, MORBID SAINT, DISSIMULATOR and more. And should have even more on the way!
We didn't neglect the Torture Chamber this week! Here it is in all its ragged glory...
LIONHEART (UK) "The Grace Of A Dragonfly"
CRUCIAMENTUM "Obsidian Refractions"
BLACK ABSINTHE "On Earth And In Hell"
ABHORIA "Depths"
PLAGUEMACE "Reptilian Warlords"
ENGULF "The Dying Planet Weeps"
MASSIVE SCAR ERA "Metal Goes Egyptian" EP
SULFURIC HATRED "Sulfuric Hatred"
NIGHT FEVER "Dead End"
GHOULIES INVADE THE CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD!
We take a double dip into the world of the unknown this week, as DARK STARR looks at two wildly different classics of horror! First up, he looks Lucio Fulci's infamously gory cult classic "CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD", aka "THE GATES OF HELL"! You can read that bloody essay HERE! On the opposite end of the scale, he looks at the more light-hearted but still sinister "GHOULIES" and its immediate sequel "GHOULIES 2". Investigate the realm of toilet-dwelling imps HERE!
If that's not enough terror for you, then get ready for an interview with legendary thrashers MORBID SAINT! The Milwaukee maniacs are back and riding high these days so that's a welcome bit of news. We should have even more interview news soon. Coming up next week: Wormwood's annual 'BEST OF" lists!
A full panoply of underground metallic mayhem awaits in the Torture Chamber!
SURGICAL STRIKE "24/7 Hate"
LUTHARO "Chasing Euphoria"
GAMA BOMB "Bats"
SPECTRAL VOICE "Sparagmos"
KONTACT "Full Contact"
SIX FOOT SIX "Beggar's Hill"
GET LIT WITH 20 WATT TOMBSTONE!
2024 is here and it's time for some straight up heavy rock n roll! 20 WATT TOMBSTONE from Wausau, Wisconsin is here to answer the call with their new album "The Chosen Few". Upon hearing this raging slab of blues-injected rifferama, I hooked up with singer/guitarist TOM JORDAN to have a chat. A bearded bear with a pleasant demeanor and plenty to say, Tom spilled the beans on everything related to the band. Pull up a barstool and read the rest HERE!
Another band on the way to Wormwood is the Canadian cyber-thrash renegades DISSIMULATOR. Their debut album left a baseball sized hole in my skull where my brain used to be so I knew I had to hook up with them. Also, I've figured out the subject of my next Wormwood Files article...the enigma of "timeslips" or unexpected journeys forward or backward in time. Should be a real brain-tickler...
Some mighty warriors stride into this week's Torture Chamber...
LORD DYING "Clandestine Transcendence"
STYGIAN CROWN "Funeral For A King"
MEGA COLOSSUS "Showdown"
SPECTRAL LORE "11 Days"
TU-NER "T1--Contact Information"
DIABOLIC NIGHT "Beneath The Crimson Prophecy"
CAN YOU ESCAPE THE DUNGEON OF HARROW?
This week, Dr. Mality descends into the depths of the cheapest and most squalid hell imaginable as he looks at the grisly 1962 "anti-masterpiece" THE DUNGEON OF HARROW, the story of a spoiled aristocrat stranded on an island run by a madman! Imagine a Corman/Poe/Price flick done for about ten bucks and featuring a cast of dinner theater rejects from San Antonio, Texas and you will get a feel for the movie. Yet it still casts a strange and dingy spell. See if you can escape from its insidious clutches HERE!
Some news to report! THERON MOORE tells me that we will soon get his interview with thuggish new death metal combo KOMMAND. He is working on another special treat for us al and I should have news on that soon. We can expect some more of SOL'S SCREENERS coming up soon and The Good Doctor has some irons in the fire, too! Plus I can relate that I've got all the "Best of 2023" lists so that's on the horizon, too!
Theron has added now new tracks to the Wormwood Spotify playlist, which you can check out here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6GVQAXIblC8HPZS6RkfVwp?fbclid=IwAR3toravEDfn0BCi1uR9cY8XR8CvM_yRLvHvlhO0ISXzF-FauKbFnZxMzlc
The new Torture Chamber ranges from skull-splitting to darkly melodic...
SADUS "The Shadow Inside"
LEFT CROSS "Upon Desecrated Altars"
COBRA SPELL "666"
ALCHEMY OF FLESH "By Will Alone"
GOTUS "Gotus"
RECEIVER "Whispers of Lore"
FALL INTO THE ABYSS OF VASTUM!
FALL INTO THE ABYSS OF VASTUM!
From the Bay Area of California emerges the dark and disturbing VASTUM, one of the leaders of the modern wave of death metal. After five years in limbo, they've returned with murky new album "Inward To Gethsemane". I connected with multi-talented and multi-faceted LEILA ABDUL-RAUF to talk about the evolution of the band and the meaning behind their often controversial lyrics. She had plenty of insight on those and several other interesting topics...drop in HERE to read the result!
Many irons are in the fire already for 2024 and some exciting announcements should be forthcoming at Wormwood Laboratories. Watch this space for the latest dope...
The first Torture Chamber of 2024 is just as dark and twisted as anything previous years have spawned!
MORTUARY DRAPE "Black Mirror"
DEMONCY "Black Star Gnosis"
POOR GENETIC MATERIAL "Elsewhere"
HORSEWHIP "Consume And Burn"
BLOOD OATH "Lost In An Eternal Silence"
DEFECT DESIGNER "Chitin"
WE END 2023 WITH A CASE OF CARDIAC ARREST!
Believe it or not, another year is in the books and we here at Wormwood celebrate it with a massive coronary event known as CARDIAC ARREST! The veteran Chicago band has been a favorite around here since the early days but we haven't talked to them in a while. THERON MOORE managed to haul ADAM SCOTT and TOM KNIZNER out of the graveyard to talk to them about all things CARDIAC, including their new album "The Stench of Eternity", the first to be released on their new label Hell's Headbangers! Keep your defilibrator handy and read about it HERE!
DARK STARR informs me that reviews will be forthcoming for new Blu-Ray releases of Fulci's classic gorefest "CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD" as well as a combined review of the first two GHOULIES movies. Plus my own look at the notorious "DUNGEONS OF HARROW" is forthcoming. Not to mention, the illustrious Wormwood "Best of 2023" lists!
Here's the last Torture Chamber of 2023...lotsa strange names pop up in this one!
ATRONOS "Erwachen"
SHYLMAGOGHNAR "Convergence"
MORBID SAINT "Swallowed In Hell"
GRAVESEND "Gowanus Death Stomp"
AVRAE LVNAE "Ntdd Strl"
PHOBOCOSM "Foreordained"
HERZOG "Furnace"
WICKED SMILE "Night Time Riders" EP
DISTORTA "A Devil In the Dust" EP
SAN LEO "Aves Raras"
A HOLIDAY GIFT OF SOL'S SCREENERS!
For this festive holiday season, what could be cheerier than a new edition of SOL'S SCREENERS featuring kung fu zombies, strung out hookers and sleazy sex fiends? The answer is...nothing! This Sol casts his eyes on the foreign epic of drugged up prostitutes HANNAH D, the grindhouse tale of a homicidal peeping Tom THE SEX KILLER and the indescrible kung fu/Nazi/zombie island tale RAW FORCE! Skip the mistletoe and hop aboard Sol's sleigh ride HERE!
Coming soon...an interview with Texas doom metal phenomenon STYGIAN CROWN, whose new record "Funeral For A King" will likely make it onto Doc's "Best of 2024" list. Speaking of which, we are busy compiling the 2023 edition which will appear down the road a bit...
Here's the Christmas edition of the Torture Chamber, festooned with electric lights and human entrails...
THE RODS "Rattle The Cage"
CARNATION "Cursed Mortality"
SORCERER "Reign of the Reaper"
GREEN LUNG "This Heathen Land"
KILL THE KING "Kill The King"
CRIMSON DAWN "It Came From The Stars/The Open Coffin"
A CRUSHING REVIEW OF MAD TOWN'S HEAVIEST SHOW EVER!
If you can imagine what it's like to have a 10-ton hammer made of pure sound smash into your body, you'll have an idea of what the Good Doctor experienced in Madison, Wisconsin on November 16, 2023. That was the night that two of the gods of death metal, INCANTATION and SUFFOCATION, came to play at The Annex. And they didn't come alone...they brought SKELETAL REMAINS, STABBING, and CASKET ROBBERY with them! I've got the blow by blow description of this earth-shattering event HERE, including a ton of fresh pics. Can you take it? Read on and find out...
Here's something new for you humanoids to latch your ears on! The first ever Wormwood Spotify Playlist, featuring songs from artists we've recently reviewed or interviewed. This first edition features tracks from GO AHEAD AND DIE, DESTRUCTOR, VASTUM, DARSOMBA and much more! Click here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6GVQAXIblC8HPZS6RkfVwp?fbclid=IwAR3bGX0nnhcPF_ckyqZVnrW1fCLdJUObInbUCgklNmslBKepIHM8ISHz0W8
We are fast approaching the Holiday season here at Wormwood Laboratories and my next update will appear after Christmas so I hope you manage to enjoy the day, even though my preferred holiday is Halloween by a long shot (closely followed by Walpurgis Night!).
Our extra-big Torture Chamber has got a wild variety of sounds to abuse your ears with, from dark neofolk to screaming horrific sludge to indescribable soundscapes!
SUFFOCATION "Hymns To The Apocrypha"
FUMING MOUTH "Last Day of Sun"
HIGH SPIRITS "Safe On the Other Side"
BRODER "Skarpretterfossilet"
YELLOW EYES "Master's Murmur"
STOMACH "Parasite"
PEINE KAPITAL "Peine Kapital"
TEDDY HORSE "Sea Taverns"
TEMPLE BALLS "Avalanche"
MEET THE UNHOLY FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF TRIVAX!
To some people, metal is not just a way of life...it's an ongoing struggle for freedom. So it is for TRIVAX, a scorching black metal band with roots in the turbulent Middle East. I speak to the leader SHAYAN from Iran, a nation where playing black metal can be a crime punishable by death. What is it like to wield heavy metal as a weapon of liberation? Jump in HERE and find out! One of the more interesting and important Wormwood interviews of recent times!
There's more on the way! A lot closer to home, I spoke to Wisconsin heavy rockers 20 WATT TOMBSTONE and their head crooner TOM JORDAN! We're working on even more for the new year, including one unexpected chat that has nothing to do with music! Stay tuned, humanoids!
The Torture Chamber this week has got some pretty spicy opinions on display!
MEGATON LEVIATHAN "Magick Helmet"
GO AHEAD AND DIE "Unhealthy Mechanisms"
NOITILA "Langenutt"
VASTUM "Inward To Gethsemane"
CALICO JACK "Isla de la Muerte"
DWELLING BELOW "Dwelling Below"
GET HAMMERED BY DESTRUCTOR!
They came from Cleveland! I'm talking about metal maniacs DESTRUCTOR, who have been assaulting eardrums and kicking asses for almost 40 years with their pure and furious steel. THERON MOORE ventured deep into The Mistake By the Lake and came up with vocalist/guitarist DAVE OVERKILL, who has been with the band since the beginning. Find out what Mr. Overkill has got to say about the past, present and future of this seminal band HERE!
Keep an eye out for my upcoming interview with veteran San Francisco death metal band VASTUM and their multi-talented frontlady LEILA ABDUL-RAUF! Should soon have some more updates for you as well!
Time for plenty of the good, the bad and ugly with the latest extra-sized Torture Chamber!
SKY EMPIRE "The Shifting Tectonic Plates of Power, Part One"
ENDSEEKER "Global Worming"
BULL ELEPHANT "The Long War"
KARRAS "We Poison Their Young"
GRAVEN SIN "Veil of the Gods"
BLACK KNIFE "Baby Eater Witch"
DARSOMBRA "Dumesday Book"
FLESHER "Tales of Grotesque Demise"
HYPERIA "The Serpent's Cycle"
HAVE SOME TORTURE FOR THANKSGIVING!
Even the fiendish ghouls at Wormwood Laboratories have to take a break now and then. So for Thanksgiving week, there's no interview or article to peruse. However, we haven't left you entirely in the dark, as our ever-growing Torture Chamber expands with more reviews for you to check out. Sink your fangs into these and we'll be back next week with DESTRUCTOR and more!
AGGRESSION "Frozen Aggressors"
TOMB MOLD "The Enduring Spirit"
KOTIOMKIN "The Satanic Rites of Cobram"
HOWLING GIANT "Glass Future"
ELM STREET "The Great Tribulation"
MARTYRDOOM "As Torment Prevails"
RIPPED APART BY INDIA'S GUTSLIT!
Watch out for flying viscera as this week Dr. Mality speaks to India's heaviest band, the gore-soaked GUTSLIT! If you dig the brutal sounds of CANNIBAL CORPSE, DYING FETUS and SUFFOCATION, you're guaranteed to go ga-ga over this bunch. Yet there is more of them than meets the eye! I spoke to crazed drummer AARON PINTO about the Indian scene, the new GUTSLIT album "Carnal" and their independent march to conquer the rest of the world. He was quite an articulate fellow for such a bloodthirsty maniac, which you can confirm for yourself HERE!
Speaking of gory metal, Mr. THERON MOORE tells me that he got a talk with Chicago's venerable death fiends CARDIAC ARREST in the bag. You can add that to his chat with DESTRUCTOR that's on tap. He tells me he's got one more rabbit up his sleeve which he will reveal soon. I also should have some interview news soon...and not all of it with metal bands! Stay tuned...
We got another King Kong sized edition of the Torture Chamber for you this week!
WITHIN TEMPTATION "Bleed Out"
PRONG "State of Emergency"
ANGRA "Cycles of Pain"
AUTOPSY "Ashes, Organs, Blood and Crypts"
ICE GIANT "Ghost of Humanity"
BURNER "Hittin' the Target"
SCANNER "Just A Hint of Mayhem"
A CHAT WITH WINDY CITY GUITAR WIZARD KURT MICHAELS!
This week, it's time for a bit of a break from the usual head-smashing musical content we feature. Our resident prog-rock poobah DARK STARR was lucky enough to get a chat with one of the Chicago area's most celebrated guitarists, KURT MICHAELS. In addition to his own solo work, he's played with some real giants of the music industry like YES, PAUL MCCARTNEY, FRANK ZAPPA, THE TEMPTATIONS and more. He had plenty to say about gear, goals and glitz, so don't miss the low down down low HERE!
With the holidays fast approaching, things haven't slowed down at WC Labs at all. Plenty of live show reviews, interviews and film features coming soon. Plus I've got a really great idea for the next edition of the Wormwood Files that I hope to tell you about soon! Stay tuned, space cadets!
Quite a wild Torture Chamber this week, featuring dark humored rockabilly, Satanic blasphemy, 80's hair metal revivalists and an awesome band from the Middle East!
HITTEN "While Passion Lasts"
PROFANATICA "Crux Simplex"
THE COFFINSHAKERS "Graves, Release Your Dead"
TRIVAX "Eloah Burns Out"
BLAZONER "Escape From Electric Land"
20 WATT TOMBSTONE "The Chosen Few"
BLADES OF STEEL III CUTS DEEP!
This last September, the BLADES OF STEEL heavy metal festival returned for the third time and made its debut in Madison, WI. And of course, the maniacs of Wormwood Chronicles were there to get the goods on this excellent gathering! DR. ABNER MALITY and THERON MOORE teamed up to give an in-depth look at this fest which featured the likes of EXCITER, MASSACRE, JAG PANZER, VIO-LENCE, RIOT V and a shitload more of smokin' metal bands. It's not only a musical get-together, but an affirmation of metal culture and a supreme social event. We've got all the lowdown on the fest right HERE...it's the next best thing to being there!
Speaking of THERON MOORE, that boy's been plenty busy lately. He snagged an interview with Cleveland's veteran metal warriors DESTRUCTOR (who by coincidence also played Blades of Steel III) and their mastermind DAVE OVERKILL so expect to see that sooner rather than later. He's also got another interview up his sleeve, which I will reveal more about soon. Also, look to see a lot more live show coverage in the cobwebbed halls of Wormwood soon, including HELL'S HEROES in Houston, INCANTATION and SUFFOCATION teaming up in Madison and maybe even the QUEENSRYCHE and ARMORED SAINT show that will be coming to just one mile away from the headquarters of Wormwood Laboratories! Lots of cool stuff coming down the pike...
We've got another double-stuffed edition of the Torture Chamber for you again!
CRYPTOPSY "As Gomorrah Burns"
KK'S PRIEST "The Sinner Rides Again"
CIRITH UNGOL "Dark Parade"
CRUEL FORCE "Dawn of the Axe"
VIRAL TYRANT "Vultures Like You"
BACTERIAL HUSK "Anthropogenic Ruin"
BEKOR QILISH "The Flesh Of A New God"
KNIFE "Heaven Into Dust"
WINTERAGE "Nekyia"
A HORRENDOUS INTERVIEW FOR HALLOWEEN!
Yes, it's the season when the nauseating taste and smell of pumpkin spice permeates the very air. But it's also time for ghouls, monsters...and death metal shenanigans, of course. This week we present my chat with Pennsylvania's forward-thinking maniacs HORRENDOUS, who bring an eclectic touch to the sometimes staid death metal world. Master sticksman JAMIE KNOX tells us in detail how the band creates its challenging and unpredictable works, especially on new album "Ontological Mysterium". It's a really cool look inside how HORRENDOUS does things and you can sample it HERE!
This week's Torture Chamber is pretty spacey, with several sci-fi oriented bands taking part!
SINHERESY "Event Horizon"
TERMINALIST "The Crisis As Condition"
HAWKWIND "The Future Never Waits"
IRON SAVIOR "Firestar"
WAR CURSE "Confession"
IGNITED "Cradle of the Wicked"
BACK TO THE GRINDHOUSE FOR MORE OF SOL'S SCREENERS!
It's the next best thing to hanging out on Old 42nd Street in the Big Apple and consuming ungodly amounts of cinematic trash...it's SOL'S SCREENERS and it's back for the third time here at Wormwood. Our buddy SOLOMON G returns with 4 more flash reviews of grindhouse goodies. This time he looks at "BLOOD MOON", "LOW BLOW", "FLESH AND BULLETS" and the Oscar contender pictured above, "ROLLER BLADE"! You can check 'em out HERE...the only thing missing is gum sticking to your shoe and the scent of stale popcorn (amid other things)!
Coming up on the interview front will be an extremely timely and interesting talk I had with the rising black/thrash band TRIVAX! I spoke to their Iranian leader SHAYAN about the difficulties of performing black metal in the Middle East and the dark philosophy behind the band. Something to look forward to! More interviews are in the works and will be revealed soon!
An extra big helping of Torture with some well known names is on hand this week!
DESTRUCTOR "Blood, Bone and Fire"
CANNIBAL CORPSE "Chaos Horrific"
XORSIST "At The Somber Steps To Serenity"
KERRIGAN "Bloodmoon"
U.D.O. "Touchdown"
CEMETERY URN "Suffer The Fallen"
BLACK PESTILENCE "Chaotic Wisdom"
LURING "The Triumphant Fall of the Malevolent Christ"
TEMPLE OF DREAD "Beyond Acheron"
FROM INNER HELL TO OUTER HEAVEN!
Wormwood's own God of Thunder THOR heads into "Infinite Psychic Depths" to hook up with Pennsylvania's death metal bruisers, OUTER HEAVEN! The band's new album, named above, is popping up on a lot of "best of" lists as an example of a band that gets an old school sound in a new and unique way. Vocalist AUSTIN HAINES explains it all for you HERE! A very intriguing interview for sure!
"Intriguing" also describes this week's descent into the Torture Chamber's fetid domain...
RONNIE ROMERO "Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters"
HORRENDOUS "Ontological Mysterium"
ART OF SHOCK "Shine Black Light"
WARCRAB "The Howling Silence"
LIVIN' EVIL "Prayers and Torments"
MALOKARPATAN "Vertumnus Caesar"
GLENN HUGHES AND YNGWIE...LIVE!!!
We are back in action with a bang this week, as COLONEL ANGUS gives us a live review of two giants of rock in concert...GLENN HUGHES and guitar maestro YNGWIE MALMSTEEN! Angus caught them together down in Houston and brings us a blow by blow of their exploits, including a ton of world class photos! Check it out HERE!
In other news, I girded my loins and grabbed an interview with India's heaviest band, GUTSLIT, which you will soon see here...if you have enough nerve. For those looking for something a bit more sedate but no less interesting, DARK STARR will have his own interview with prog guitar wizard KURT MICHAELS coming up soon. You can add that to chats with OUTER HEAVEN and HORRENDOUS and more I can't talk about yet.
Since we had a week off, our Torture Chamber this week is the most massive ever!
DYING FETUS "Make Them Beg For Death"
THY CATAFALQUE "Alfold"
ANGEL "Once Upon A Time"
CRUCIBLE OF HATE "The Unknown Path"
PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS. "Kings of the Asylum"
DAMNATION'S HAMMER "Into The Silent Nebula"
FABRICANT "Drudge To The Thicket"
VRAJITOR'S TENEBRARIUM "E.N.L.D."
DUN RINGILL "Where The Old Gods Play, Act 1"
ROCKY'S PRIDE & JOY "All the Colours of Darkness"
EGREGORE "Synchronistic Delusions"
SUFFER YOURSELF "Axis Of Tortures"
DIGGIN' UP DIRT ON GRAVERIPPER + A SPECIAL NOTE
Before we dive into this week's feature interview, I just wanted you humanoids to know that there will be no update of Wormwood for this upcoming week. Myself and THERON MOORE will be attending the BLADES OF STEEL festival all weekend long in Madison, WI and checking out bands like EXCITER, MASSACRE, JAG PANZER and a coffin-load more. Good news is, we will give you a thorough rundown of the whole event, with plenty of pics to match.
Now onto the matter at hand...Indiana's raging newcomers GRAVERIPPER, who are emerging as a band to watch with their lethal combination of thrash and black metal. I talk to the voice of the band, COREY PARKS, about their origins and what they plan to accomplish on the back of their new album "Seasons Dreaming Death". Get the dope HERE and prepare to rave to the grave!
This week's Torture Chamber is one of the weirdest and most eclectic in our history. Check 'em out and see what I mean!
SLOMATICS "Strontium Fields"
END REIGN "The Way Of All Flesh Is Decay"
VANISHING KIDS "Miracle Of Death"
UNBLESSED DIVINE "Portal To Darkness"
THE DEVIL'S TRADE "Videkek Vannak Idebenn"
DIMINISHING "The Unnamable"
WE TALK TO WISCONSIN'S #1 PROMOTER, RANDY KASTNER!
A metal festival just doesn't magically pop up by itself. It takes a lot of people to make one happen, but nobody is more important than the promoter. In Southern Wisconsin, that man is RANDY KASTNER, also known as the No Fun Shogun and Wizard of Watertown. He's had a long illustrious history of putting metal on the map and in recent years with Covid and economic turmoil, it's been harder than ever. This year, the big show is BLADES OF STEEL 3 in Madison, Wisconsin. What does it take to put such a show together? Read HERE and find out straight from the horses' mouth. You may not have any fun, but you'll find out plenty!
It's been another fruitful week in the dismal dungeons of Wormwood! Our own God of Thunder THOR has come up with an interview of Pennsylvania's up and coming death metal soldiers OUTER HEAVEN, who have a lot to say. Our pal SOLOMON G will soon be back with capsule reviews of some of the most noxious grindhouse hits you can think of, including "RAW FORCE" and "FLESH AND BULLETS". And our man in Texas, COLONEL ANGUS, will have a live review of hard rockin' superstars GLENN HUGHES and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, complete with plenty of pix. Lots of other things cookin' in the lab so check this space weekly!
Lots of craziness in the Torture Chamber this week, almost too much to reveal!
IZROD "Sarajevski Odisej"
KATAKLYSM "Goliath"
SCREAM MAKER "Land Of Fire"
RINGWORM "Seeing Through Fire"
SADISTIC FORCE "Midnight Assassin"
BAXAXAXA "De Vermis Mysteriis"
TONGUES "Formlose Stjerne"
ETHEREAL VOID "Gods Of A Dead World"
SOLAR FLARE "Solar Flare"
AN UNHOLY CHAT WITH INCANTATION!
Once again we dive into the deepest catacombs of the metal underground, this time to speak to one of the true originators of raw and primitive death metal, the legendary INCANTATION! It's not our first go-round with these fiends, but it is our first time talking to bass player CHUCK SHERWOOD. Chuck now writes most of the lyrics for the band, so he's a great choice to tell us about the diabolical concept behind the newest INCANTATION album, "Unholy Deification". These guys have been treading the boards for more than 30 years so it's a great chance to pick the brains of true veterans...hop aboard the Death Train HERE!
More news from the Labs! I was also able to speak to one of the more recent bands causing a big stir in death metal, HORRENDOUS! These cats are red hot right now so don't miss that when it pops up. Also, you might know that Wormwood will be in force at the upcoming BLADES OF STEEL metalfest in Madison, Wisconsin. Not only will we be covering the fest, but intrepid THERON MOORE has snagged a talk with fest promotoer, the No Fun Shogun, the Wizard of Watertown, RANDY KASTNER. Look for that sooner instead of later. And the Good Doctor is thinking about a feature on the notorious no-budget Poe wannabe film, "DUNGEON OF HARROW", one of the all-time groaners! So plenty to look forward to...
Such as this week's Torture Chamber, packed with arcane aural goodies!
MIZMOR "Prosaic"
INCANTATION "Unholy Deification"
BLOODBOUND "Tales From The North"
GRAVERIPPER "Seasons Dreaming Death"
VIRGIN STEELE "The Passion of Dionysus"
DESEKRYPTOR "Vortex Oblivion"
A TRIPLE DOSE OF TERROR!
This week we stagger zombie-like back to the PHILM PHREAKS section, where DARK STARR gives us his judgement on not one, not two, but THREE different excursions into cinematic horror. First, he gives us the lowdown on the "EMPIRE OF SCREAMS" Blu-Ray Boxset which contains 5 movies put out by Empire Pictures, the predecessor to Full Moon Entertainment. The set includes the likes of "THE DUNGEONMASTER", "DOLLS" , "CELLAR DWELLER", "ARENA" and "ROBOT JOX". Check that out HERE! Then he looks at the cult necromancy favorite "WITCHTRAP" which you can read HERE. And finally he tops it off with a more recent movie that still manages to feel like an 80's flick, "SUMMERHOUSE SLAUGHTER". If there's anything left after the previous two articles, look at that last one HERE!
An extra big Labor Day edition of the Torture Chamber has plenty of grue and gore!
ORGAN DEALER "The Weight Of Being"
CADAVER "The Age Of The Offended"
HELL IN THE CLUB "F.U.B.A.R."
CRYPTA "Shades Of Sorrow"
MEURTRIERES "Ronde De Nuit"
SEPULCHRAL CURSE "Abhorrent Dimensions"
CYSTIC "Palace Of Shadows"
BLACKCAT MANOR "A Shape In The Shadows"
MACHINATIONS OF FATE "Celestial Prophecies"
A NEW OFFENSIVE FROM JAG PANZER!
This week the one and only THERON MOORE gives us an interview with one of the American metal scene's pre-eminent bands, JAG PANZER! He speaks with guitarist MARK BRIODY, who's been with the band from their inception in 1981! Topics covered include the new JP album "The Hallowed", the concept behind the album's story and the very origins of the band. This is our second go around with Mr. Briody and JAG PANZER and it's full of anecdotes and information. Give it a look HERE!
Last week I told you I secured a chat with the mighty INCANTATION. Now I can also reveal I've gotten another interview with one of the hottest up and coming thrash bands in the country, Indiana's GRAVERIPPER! Plus look for some new "Sol's Screeners" coming soon in the Philm Phreak section! Wormwood marches on!
A most interesting Torture Chamber awaits, topped off with the smokin' hot NITA STRAUSS!
NITA STRAUSS "The Call of the Void"
THE ZENITH PASSAGE "Datalysium"
EVILE "The Unknown"
BLIGHT HOUSE "Blight The Way"
MARDUK "Memento Mori"
AGELESS SUMMONING "Corrupting The Entempled Plane"
A LOOK AT CLASSIC HORROR ICON GEORGE ZUCCO!
We love our classic horror here at Wormwood Laboratories so it makes sense we take a look at the career of the sinister GEORGE ZUCCO, whose dignified yet diabolical presence graced many spook flicks over the year. Despite that, his name is not as well known as it should be, which is an oversight we try to correct. Learn about the star of "Dead Men Walk", "The Mad Ghoul", "Voodoo Man" and many more HERE!
Fiendishly happy to report that I have secured an interview with one of the true legends of death metal, the mighty INCANTATION! I talk to CHUCK SHERWOOD just in time for the new album "Unholy Deification"! Also look for a live report from COLONEL ANGUS on a show featuring GLENN HUGHES and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN! Lots of other things are in the planning stage so stay glued to the Land of the Worm!
We put a little extra "oomph" in this week's Torture Chamber!
CALLIGRAM "Position/Momentum"
TSJUDER "Helvegr"
VENDETTA "Black As Coal"
ALBERT BOUCHARD "Imaginos III: Mutant Reformation"
TERRA BUILDER "Solar Temple"
TAILGUNNER "Guns For Hire"
BLACK SORCERY "Deciphering Torment Through Malediction"
RING OF GYGES "Metamorphosis"
PUKEWRAITH "Banquet Of Scum"
WE THROW UP AN INTERVIEW WITH VOMITORY!
Reach for the barf bags because we're talking to VOMITORY this week! One of Sweden's most brutal and longest serving death metal bands, they are back torturing victims after staying away from murder for a few peaceful years. Thank goodness! I talk to drum monster TOBIAS GUSTAFSSON about the band's ferocious new album "All Heads Are Gonna Roll" and also about the craziest gig the guys have ever played (there's been a lot of them). All this and much more is regurgitated HERE so hold your nose and dive into the puke pit!
Coming up soon will be THERON MOORE's interview with JAG PANZER as well as my article on GEORGE ZUCCO. I'm also happy to relate that DARK STARR will have some more movie reviews for us soon, including looks at the "EMPIRE OF SCREAMS" box set that collects many of Empire Films' greatest hits. Also working on more interview and live concert reviews, so stay tuned!
Lots of fun in store with this week's Torture Chamber, which includes PRIMAL FEAR, PAT TRAVERS and SHROUD OF DESPONDENCY!
PRIMAL FEAR "Code Red"
LEGION OF THE DAMNED "The Poison Chalice"
PAT TRAVERS "The Art of Time Travel"
VHS "Quest For the Mighty Riff"
NIGHT LEGION "Fight Or Fall"
SHROUD OF DESPONDENCY "Air Of Abrasion"
COME ALIVE WITH OVERKILL!
You know them....you love them...you've been headbanging to them for more than 30 years! I'm talking about the one and only OVERKILL! Our boy in Texas, COLONEL ANGUS, recently caught them in action in Houston and he's here to tell you all about it! They didn't come alone, as they brought HEATHEN, EXHORDER and SUNLORD along with them! Angus covers it all HERE and took some mighty nifty snaps of the show as well. Pop in and check it all out!
More live gig coverage is in our future, as me and THERON MOORE have tickets to the BLADES OF STEEL fest in September that features the likes of EXCITER, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, JAG PANZER and many more. That will get the Wormwood treatment and there should be even more live show reviews if things go our way. Plus look for more movie reviews in the Philm Phreaks section soon as well!
The reach of the latest Torture Chamber is extra long and extra wide as you shall see!
GLORYHAMMER "Return To the Kingdom of Fife"
NECROFIER "Burning Shadows In the Southern Darkness"
APEX ORIGIN "Beyond A Lifetime"
SOMNURI "Desiderium"
SMOKEY MIRROR "Smokey Mirror"
THE SIGIL "Argante" EP
GUTSLIT "Carnal"
ANTIOCH VI "Molten Rainbow"
VIRULENT SPECTER "Satanic Territorial Moloch"
TAKE A TRIP DOWN BRAY ROAD!
The epicenter of the paranormal in Wisconsin is Bray Road in rural Walworth County, the home to a mysterious werewolf-like beast. And the epicenter of metal in Milwaukee is the band BRAY ROAD that takes much of its inspiration from this eerie location. Well, I got to talk about both metal and monsters with the band's guitarist/vocalist NINO NIENAS, an expert on both. The band has a new album out entitled "Focused, Fierce, Relentless" whose name serves as a mission statement. Stop by HERE and get the dope on this hairy beast of a band!
We've got one of "those weeks" in the Torture Chamber, full of odd bands running the gamut from skull-crushingly heavy to classic rock...
OUTER HEAVEN "Infinite Psychic Depths"
STATIC ABYSS "Aborted From Reality"
PYRAMAZE "Bloodlines"
CHURCH OF MISERY "Born Under A Mad Sign"
NUCLEAR DUDES "Boss Blades"
TORRENTIAL THRILL "State of Disaster"
FOLLOW THE DEVILISH PATH OF ROBERT JOHNSON!
A real unique treat awaits you with this edition of the Wormwood Files. First, it sees the return of an old friend, CLASSIC CAMP, who wrote for Wormwood in the earliest days of the zine. Well, C.C. is back and he dives into the strange legend of notorious bluesman ROBERT JOHNSON! Only three photographs are known to exist of Johnson and only 29 songs have survived to the present time. For years, the rumors persisted that he acquired his amazing playing skill from a deal with the Devil himself. Camp takes a closer look at the story HERE and discovers plenty of tidbits about Mr. Johnson.
More good news about upcoming features at Wormwood! First, I grabbed an interview with the great Swedish death metal masters VOMITORY, which will have you retching with delight! Also, COLONEL ANGUS recently saw a great gig down in Houston with OVERKILL headlining and support from HEATHEN and EXHORDER! Expect a live report soon with plenty of the Colonel's great pics! We may have more interesting live coverage coming soon!
A double barreled blast of the Torture Chamber is here for your perusal!
XASTHUR "Inevitably Dark"
TORTURE RACK "Primeval Onslaught"
GOZU "Remedy"
GEIST OF OUACHITA "Imprisoned Within The Graven Wood"
BRAY ROAD "Focused, Fierce, Relentless"
KILLER "Hellfire"
VANTABLACK WARSHIP "Last of the Hardmouthed Poets"
SYSTEMIK VIOLENCE "Negative Mangel Attitude"
HATE MANIFESTO "ΑΠΟΣΤΑΤΗΣ"
A LOOK AT PUPPETMASTER III AND THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED!
The demented DARK STARR returns to the Philm Phreaks section with reviews of two Blu-Ray Horrors! First he takes a look at the Spanish tale of psycho-sexual horror THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED, featuring one of the most shocking endings of any film. Get up to speed on that one HERE! Then he visits the beloved Full Moon franchise with a review of PUPPETMASTER III, which gives the origin of the Nazi-killing puppet fiends. Get the scoop on that HERE! If you dare...
Also got some intriguing news about the Wormwood Files! Our old pal CLASSIC CAMP, who has been absent from Wormwood Labs for many years, returns with an article about the devilish doings of legendary blues man ROBERT JOHNSON! A lot of tales have swirled around this man for almost a hundred years and Camp will take a look at those soon!
Now for one of the heavier Torture Chambers we've had in a while...
VULTURE INDUSTRIES "Ghosts of the Past"
LIQUID FLESH "Dolores"
SATURNUS "The Storm Within"
PUTRIDITY "Greedy Gory Gluttony"
TOMBSTALKER "Age of Darkness"
CREEPING DEATH "Boundless Domain"
WITCHSKULL "The Serpent Tide"
PREPARE FOR A WHIPPING BY LEATHURBITCH!
This week I strip down to my leather underwear for a meeting with Portland's masters of sleazy speed metal, LEATHURBITCH! I get the word on this fast-rising band from their screaming king of dominant vocals, JOEL STARR, who proves to be surprisingly pleasant for a sonic sadist. He speaks about the band drawing strength from their unique look and style and also about their killer new album "Shattered Vanity". You can feel the pain HERE for a beating you won't soon forget!
Great news from the one and only THERON MOORE! He has secured an interview with one of America's best and most long-running metal bands, JAG PANZER! This will surely be one of the highlights of the year. Also, DARK STARR will have reviews of two underground horrors, "THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED" and the immortal "PUPPETMASTER III"! Should soon have word on some other big features coming soon to the House of the Worm...
An extra large Torture Chamber features visits from well known names like RAVEN, ROTTEN SOUND and GIRLSCHOOL!
RAVEN "All Hell's Breaking Loose"
ROTTEN SOUND "Apocalypse"
GIRLSCHOOL "WTForty-five?"
INFERION "Inequity"
KONG "Traders of Truth"
GRIDFAILURE/INTERSTITIA "Sunyata Ontology"
OCEANLORD "Kingdom Cold"
ORDER OF DECAY "Mortification Rites"
DEAD EXPRESS "Game Changer:"
GET ANNIHILATED BY HELLWITCH!
One of the oldest and most maniacal American death metal bands is the nefarious HELLWITCH! Hailing from DM hotbed Florida, they've been going at it since 1984 and guitarist/vocalist PAT RANIERI has been there every step of the way. Almost 40 years after their inception they've unleashed one of their most pulverizing albums, "Annihilational Intercention". I just had to talk to the man behind the madness of HELLWITCH...which I did. Read the result HERE!
I also took a trip up to Southern Wisconsin and walked the darkened path of the infamous BRAY ROAD. The band, not the rural highway where the mysterious BEAST has been seen. I grabbed a chat with this up and coming groovy thrash band and you'll see it soon here! I'm also going to try to take a look at old school horror icon GEORGE ZUCCO, who leant his cultured voice and intense gaze to many a sinister role. I should have some news on some other upcoming Worm-features of interest!
This week's Torture Chamber has a kind of religious angle, with visits to METAL CHURCH, CHURCH OF THE DEAD and a meeting with FIFTH ANGEL!
METAL CHURCH "Congregation of Annihilation"
GATEWAY "Galgendood"
FIFTH ANGEL "When Angels Kill"
CHURCH OF THE DEAD "Beyond Death"
ANTHEM "Crimson and Jet Black"
RADIEN "Unissa Palaneet"
THE RETURN OF MILWAUKEE METALFEST!
After almost 20 years of slumber, the monster that is MILWAUKEE METALFEST has risen once again! And of course Wormwood was there...at least for the first two days. Could the magic of old be recaptured? Or would the Fest fall prey to greed? Among the names playing the mighty get-together were DARK ANGEL...FROZEN SOUL...IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT...ANTHRAX...TOXIC RUIN...SUICIDAL TENDENCIES...and a gazillion more, both famous and obscure. Who knocked it out of the park...and who sunk like the Titanic? Get a blow by blow description with plenty of pics right HERE!
Some unusual features may soon be appearing at Wormwood....out of the norm even for us. Lots of things are coming together and we'll let you hapless humanoids in on it soon!
The new Torture Chamber, in addition to being extra big, covers the extreme of melody and brutality...
CLOAK "Black Flame Eternal"
FROZEN SOUL "Glacial Domination"
RAY ALDER "II"
HELLWITCH "Annihilational Intercention"
LEE SMALL "The Last Man On Earth"
ELDER DEVIL "Everything Worth Loving"
HERETIC CULT REDEEMER "Flagellum Universalis"
HEMPLIFIER "The Stoner Sde of the Doom"
KOMMAND "Death Age"
FALL INTO THE CLUTCHES OF YAKUZA!
No, this isn't the Tokyo Yakuza that get a gazillion tattoos or cuts people's throats at the drop of a hat...this is a much more dangerous proposition! Chicago's YAKUZA have been a hard to define but easy to find presence in the music scene for many years, playing an always-morphing brand of metal with influences from across the board. Things have been quiet in YAKUZA-ville the last few years, but the silence has been broken this year with the new "Sutra" record. I grabbed a brief and rather pungent interview with singer BRUCE LAMONT and the rest of the band not long ago and you can read the spicy result HERE!
Speaking of band interviews, I can announce that I had a talk with Portland's fast rising LEATHURBITCH, a unique combination of classic speed metal and glam sleaze. That will be up soon. Several other chats are near to being announced and I will also have a new Philm Phreaks article to tell you about soon!
In fact, LEATHURBITCH is part of the latest Torture Chamber, along with IMMORTAL, STONED JESUS and more!
THE BLEEDING "Monokrator"
IMMORTAL "War Against All"
STONED JESUS "Father Light"
LEATHURBITCH "Shattered Vanity"
BONGINATOR "The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot"
CROWN LANDS "Fearless"
NEW CULT SCI FI FLICKS REVIEWED!
Resident spaceman DARK STARR returns this week with reviews of two new Blu-Rays that have hit the market. The first is the overlooked early 90's time travel epic "THE GRAND TOUR" aka "Timescape" which stars JEFF BRIDGES in a role that's definitely not in the vein of "Dumb and Dumber". You can check out that review HERE. Elsewhere, he looks at the cult hit "TRANCERS" from the beloved Full Moon studio. This low budget but intriguing film stars TIM THOMERSON as hard boiled future cop Jack Deth...it also helped jump start the career of HELEN HUNT. Dig into that one HERE ...
Another extra big and extra eclectic edition of the Torture Chamber is on tap for you...
ROSS THE BOSS "Legacy of Blood, Fire and Steel"
NIGHT DEMON "Outsider"
SMALLPOX AROMA "Festering Embryos of Logical Corruption"
THANTIFAXATH "Hive Mind Narcosis"
BLOOD CEREMONY "The Old Ways Remain"
SUNROT "The Unfailing Rope"
EXTORT "Reset"
NACHTIG "Eisig' Romantik"
THE LAST RIDE OF HOLY MOSES!
The final riff is getting near for Germany's long running thrash innovators HOLY MOSES. After more than 40 years of wrecking necks and paving the way for younger generations, they will take their last bow later this year. Not least of their innovations were the aggressive growls of vocalist SABINA CLASSEN, who opened the door for a whole new style of female vocals. The last HOLY MOSES album "Invisible Queen" is out now, so I met up with guitarist PETE GELTAT to discuss the legacy of the band and what they're up to in their last year. This is a very special kind of interview for Wormwood, which you can check out HERE!
The Worm-slaves are feverishly working on new articles and interviews for you humanoids...the whips of Dr. Mality are cracking furiously! Keep watching this space for more news soon!
A couple of weeks ago, I got too busy in the lab and spaced out on some Torture Chamber reviews, so I will tack them on to last week's batch to make up for it!
CHROME WAVES "The Earth Will Shed Its Skin"
VOMITORY "All Heads Are Gonna Roll"
JAG PANZER "The Hallowed"
ODINFIST "Remade In Steel"
EVERMORE "In Memoriam"
DEATHGRAVE "It's Only Midnight"
BLOOD STAR "First Sighting"
LARVAE "Entitled To Death"
TRIBE OF PAZUZU "Blasphemous Prophecies"
A WILDLY DIVERSE TORTURE CHAMBER!
A bit of a slow week this time around, as Ye Olde Doctor is recovering from a weekend spent at the first MILWAUKEE METALFEST in almost 2 decades. Oy vey, my old bones are creaking! But rest assured you will read all about it soon here at Wormwood Central. Because of that, we only have a Torture Chamber update for you this week, but it's a doozy, covering a wild assortment of sub-genres! And I can also let you know that we will soon be having an interview with longtime cult death metal act HELLWITCH and their mastermind PAT RANIERI! Hope to announce some other interviews and articles coming up soon.
And now, let's slide into that eclectic Torture Chamber I was telling you about earlier...
HIGH PRIEST "Invocation"
ENFORCED "War Remains"
THE 69 EYES "Death Of Darkness"
SMOULDER "Violent Creed of Vengeance"
YAKUZA "Sutra"
MOON ORACLE "Ophidian Glare"
A LOOK AT THE CAREER OF CULT STAR KERWIN MATHEWS!
This week we take a dive into the world of cult and fantasy cinema to look at the career of the swashbuckling KERWIN MATHEWS! Best known as the sword-slinging Sinbad, Mathews had an interesting career where he not only played several fantasy heroes, but also outlaws, Nazis and werewolves! He also has a strong connection to the area I live, spending much of his youth in Janesville, Wisconsin. Take a look HERE to find out more about this bastion of old school film!
Just to let you humanoids know, next week's Wormwood update will be at the very least delayed, if not absent altogether. I will be spending next weekend at the first edition of MILWAUKEE METALFEST in almost 20 years and that will gobble up a great deal of my time. I hope to have a major report on it here in the future.
Hope your appetite for torture is robust! We've got an extra sized Torture Chamber this week!
GOROD "The Orb"
SAVAGE GRACE "Sign of The Cross"
MINDLESS SINNER "Keeping It True"
VOMITHEIST "NekroFvneral"
LUNAR CHAMBER "Shambhallic Vibrations"
VALGRIND "Millenium of Night Bliss"
EVILCULT "The Devil Is Always Looking For Souls"
JUDICIARY "Flesh + Blood"
WITCH RIPPER "The Flight After The Fall"
A MYSTIC PROPHECY IS REVEALED!
Time to ride into battle and glory with Germany's true metal warriors MYSTIC PROPHECY! This is an interview I've wanted to do for a long time. The band is so underrated, so on top of their game. They've recently cut loose with their latest teeth-rattling example of metallic thunder "Hellriot" so I got together with guitarist MARKUS POHL to learn more of how these guys do things. He had plenty to say and covered some of their most infamous gigs with me. If you dig real metal in the vein of JUDAS PRIEST and PRIMAL FEAR, you can't pass up MYSTIC PROPHECY. Read the interview HERE!
In about 10 days, I will be headed to the revival of the time-honored MILWAUKEE METALFEST! Look for a report on the massive event here. The Doctor will probably be fried to a crisp when this one is done, but if I survive, I'll tell you all what it was like. That's a big "if"...
This week's Torture Chamber explores a wild range of rock and metal...
DODHEIMSGARD "Black Medium Current"
TANITH "Voyage"
DOCTOR DOOM "A Shadow Called Danger"
VANISHMENT "No More Torture"
POWERWOLF "Interludium"
BIRDFLESH "Sickness In the North"
SOL'S SCREENERS, TAKE TWO!
Fresh off the overwhelming success of the first edition of "Sol's Screeners", our pal SOLOMON G returns with some more wild and whacky capsule reviews of oddball psychotronic film. This time around, Sol dives even further into the obscure as he puts four very different films under the microscope: the outrageous Native American demonic possession flick "THE MANITOU", the gritty lowbudget 70's crime thriller "SHOT", the warped look at the sexual violence of the wife swapper set "SWINGER'S MASSACRE", and finally, the bonkers Turkish swashbuckler "THE SWORD AND THE CLAW"! There's 10 times more entertainment in these films than the entire slate of Hollywood snoozers from 2023...read all about them HERE!
Finally some news to report on the interview front! I swung a chat with Germany's ground-breaking extreme metal band HOLY MOSES, who are retiring this year after 42 years in action! Plus I also talked to Chicago's highly unorthodox YAKUZA. Both interviews coming up slowly and we are trying to get others in the pipe, so stay tuned!
This week's Torture Chamber features many metallic delights including the latest from OVERKILL!
OVERKILL "Scorched"
BLAZON RITE "Wild Rites and Ancient Songs"
DAWN OF OUROBOROS "Velvet Incandescence"
PANDEMIC "Crooked Mirror"
HEIDEVOLK "Wederkeer"
KARDINAL SIN "S.A.L.I.G.I.A."
FACE THE FIERY HEAT OF KOSTNATÊNÍ !
Once in a while we stumble across something really fresh and original here in the sodden marshes of Wormwood and that's certainly the case with KOSTNATÊNÍ. Originating in the Czech Republic, this "band" is mostly the product of one gentleman known only as D.L., who has come up with a fierce and wild sound that mixes Middle Eastern and North African influences with the extremity of death and black metal as well as touches of noisy alternative rock. The latest KOSTNATÊNÍ album is "Upal", which deals with the concept of heat. I knew I had to talk to D.L. and my wish was granted; he's an extremely sharp and thoughtful fellow, which you can find out in our interview HERE. It's really one of the most interesting we've done in a while.
This week's Torture Chamber starts with the latest from CATTLE DECAPITATION....and the last from HOLY MOSES. Plus more!
CATTLE DECAPITATION "Terrasite"
HOLY MOSES "Invisible Queen"
DEMONS DOWN "I Stand"
MYSTIC PROPHECY "Hellriot"
APE SHIFTER "Monkey Business"
VAULTWRAITH "Decomposing Spells"
A LOOK AT MARTY FRIEDMAN AND TRAUMA IN CONCERT!
Our man in Texas, the rugged COLONEL ANGUS, recently dropped in at a Houston venue to see two top metal acts in action. First he saw thrashers TRAUMA, best known as being the original band of METALLICA's CLIFF BURTON, rip it up. Then it was time for renowned axe maestro MARTY FRIEDMAN, formerly of MEGADETH and CACOPHONY, shred all over the place. You get to check out Angus' description of the event HERE and as usual, there's tons of killer photos to make you feel like you were almost there yourself!
A real interesting Torture Chamber this week, as IRON SHEIK gives a very personal look at the new METALLICA album, THOR examines the red hot death metal reprobates SANGUISUGABOGG and I look at a couple of very unique acts DOWNFALL OF GAIA and KOSTNATENI...
SANGUISUGABOGG "Homicidal Ecstasy"
DOWNFALL OF GAIA "Silhouettes of Disgust"
METALLICA "72 Seasons"
SAINT DEAMON "League of the Serpent"
KOSTNATENI "Upal"
PENITENCIA/ VAPULAH "Das Sombras Outrora Luz" Split
MEGALITH LEVITATION "Obscure Fire"
NEKUS "Sepulchral Divination"
WE VISIT THE SPOOKS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS!
The Wormwood Files returns! I take a trip inside my own home state to look at some of the creepy legends and lore of Southern Illinois. I live far to the north, so in some ways, it's almost like visiting a different state, if not a different country. Spooks, curses and strange creatures abound in the heavily forested and swampy bottom third of Illinois...I take a special look at THE CURSE OF KASKASKIA, which totally destroyed a former state capital; the tortured ghosts of THE OLD SLAVE HOUSE, where many heinous deeds took place; and the PHANTOM FUNERAL PROCESSION OF FORT DE CHARTRES, which takes place only at a very specific time! Join me, humanoids, as I look into these weird doings HERE!
Some Wormwood news to report! I've grabbed an interview with one of Europe's premier power metal bands, the iron clad veterans of MYSTIC PROPHECY! These guys are a hidden treasure in metal and one well worth exploring. Also, get ready for another helping of SOL'S SCREENERS! This time, our boy SOLOMON G looks into Turkish sword and sorcery, Native American evil spirits, hard boiled crime and sexy swingers turned into bloodthirsty killers! More psychotronic fun for our PHILM PHREAKS section coming soon!
This week's Torture Chamber sees ARNOLDPLAYSGUITAR back in action and features visits from Finnish monster rockers and hardcore punkers both!!!
ENTHEOS "Time Will Take Us All"
BURIAL HORDES "Ruins"
LORDI "Screem Writers Guild"
TERVEET KADET "Kaikki Kaikkia Vastaan"
MORK "Dypet"
YAAROTH "The Man In The Wood"
INTO THE TRENCHES WITH MINENWERFER!
History and horror collide with black metal fury this week as I head into No Man's Land for an interview with California's brutal MINENWERFER. These guys have thus far demonstrated a powerful interest in the bloody mayhem of the First World War and on their latest album "Feuerwalze", they take a harsh look at the Battle of the Somme, one of the most lethal conflicts in all of history. I meet up with KRIEGSHAMMER, who gives a blunt and direct look at MINERWERFER's approach to music and also drops some hints at a future change in direction. He also doesn't mince words with some of the controversies that come up in connection with the band. Fix bayonets and read the rest HERE!
I hope to have a lot of news soon regarding new interviews and features here at Wormwood. It's been a bit of a rough patch and several things have fallen through, but I think better news is on the horizon. I know I'm getting ready to take the dive into this year's MILWAUKEE METALFEST, which I hope to report on here if it doesn't kill me first...
An extra big helping of the Torture Chamber this week, split almost equally between the barbaric and the progressive...
KATATONIA "Sky Void Of Stars"
ANGEROT "The Profound Recreant"
ICE AGE "Waves of Loss And Power"
NOMAD "The Mountain"
WEDINGOTH "Five Stars Above"
NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST "Sailing The Seas of Nuclear Waste"
LIGHTBRINGER OF SWEDEN "The New World Order"
CHILDREN OF THE REPTILE "Heavy Is The Head"
ATROCITY "Okkult III"
EXPLORE INFINITY WITH CB3!
Set your controls for the heart of Sweden as this week DARK STARR interrogates one of Scandinavia's fastest rising space rock bands, CHARLOTTA'S BURNING TRIO, otherwise known as CB3. Led by the charismatic CHARLOTTA ANDERSSON, the band has whipped up a cosmic stew of prog rock, fusion and space rock on their most recent album "Exploration". Starr was lucky enough to speak to every member of the band and gets their thoughts on their inspirations, dealing with the pandemic, and their roots and early days. You can dive into this galactic whirlpool right HERE but don't forget to make sure your space suit is properly fitted...
Well, friends, I was hoping to tell you I'd have live coverage of MORBID ANGEL's recent show in nearby Belvidere, IL. I was actually at the show, but so was an EF1 tornado, which caused the roof of the Apollo Theater to collapse. I missed getting clobbered by mere feet but others were not so lucky. As of this writing, one concertgoer died and several others are severely injured and in the hospital Needless to say, there will be no write-up as none of the bands save opener CRYPTA played. It was frankly a terrifying experience and my heart goes out to those affected by the tragedy. I saw some heroic actions by metalheads in the crowd after the disaster. Your friend the Good Doctor escaped by nothing less than sheer dumb luck.
Well, we've got the usual Torture Chamber hijinx for you now so dig in...
HATESPHERE "Hatred Reborn"
ENSLAVED "Heimdal"
TREEDEON "New World Hoarder"
XYSMA "No Place Like Alone"
U.K. SUBS "Reverse Engineering"
THRON "Dust"
FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS FOR SOL'S SCREENERS!
We start a bold new feature in our PHILM PHREAKS section starting this week, as long-time Worm-friend SOLOMON G contributes a new series of reviews called SOL'S SCREENERS! These are quick capsule reviews of grindhouse favorites and psychotronic flicks written in Sol's own inimitable style. He starts off with four wild ones...a 1982 regional slasher film "DEATH SCREAMS" directed by the son of Ozzie and Harriet, David Nelson; a 1969 German-Italian thriller "DOUBLE FACE" starring KLAUS KINSKI; a gruesome 1974 horror comedy "HOMEBODIES" about elderly killers; and finally, the most bizarre of the lot, a 1988 shot-on-video psycho-horror "NIGHT FEEDERS" featuring drug-addled zombies and mutant babies! It sounds like it should be up any Wormster's alley and you can find out all about it HERE!
Some news from Wormwood Central! I've managed to get an interview with one of the most original bands to ever appear in WC, the unique Czech project KOSTNATENI, who combine black metal, noise rock and world music in an utterly unique fusion. Expect that here pretty soon. Also, COLONEL ANGUS will have a live review of a gig featuring former MEGADETH guitarist MARTY FRIEDMAN and CLIFF BURTON's pre-METALLICA band, TRAUMA! I should have news on more live reviews and interviews coming soon!
A mixed up melange of new Torture Chamber reviews features URIAH HEEP, GIANT BRAIN and more...
OAK "Disintegrate"
URIAH HEEP "Chaos and Colour"
GIANT BRAIN "Grade A Grey Day"
MORTALUS "We Are Human"
A DIADEM OF DEAD STARS "Emerald Sunsets"
CADAVER SHRINE "Benighted Desecration"
EXPLORE THE DARK SIDE OF SCOTLAND WITH HELLRIPPER!
There's a lot more to Scotland than harmless old Nessie! There are witches, cannibals, demons and the hideous NUCKELAVEE! And there's also scorching blackened thrash metal courtesy of HELLRIPPER! The band are dedicated to telling dark tales of their homeland, especially on their new album "Warlocks Grim And Withered Hags". I took some time to speak to the mastermind of HELLRIPPER, Mr. JAMES McBAIN, who had plenty to say about all things concerning the band and their inspirations.. Gather up your courage and meet us HERE to hear more of HELLRIPPER...
We have a wildly diverse and extra large Torture Chamber for you to ramble through this time around...
MEMORIAM "Rise To Power"
NO SPILL BLOOD "Eye Of Night"
IRON VOID "IV"
REDEMPTION "I Am The Storm"
MINENWERFER "Feuerwalze"
A LA CARTE "Soup Dejour"
CANCERVO "II"
DEAD WILL WALK "A New Day of Dawning"
TITHE "Inverse Rapture"
A TASTE OF LEATHER AND STEEL!
They say that the female is the deadlier than the male and here to prove it is LEATHER LEONE. She's been living the metal life since the early 80's and her legendary work as lead singer for CHASTAIN has led the way for many. Inspired by the great Ronnie James DIO, she's been one of the great lady metal singers. Now back in action after a long layoff, Leather has just released a sizzling new album of traditional metal entitled "We Are The Chosen". The renowned THERON MOORE recently found time to talk to her about her metal path, her relationship with DIO and much more. You can get the LEATHER lowdown HERE!
We have a Torture Chamber full of magic, majesty and mayhem for you this week!
MAJESTIES "Vast Reaches Unclaimed"
GATEKEEPER "From Western Shores"
LUNAR "The Illusionist"
SIEGE OF POWER "This Is Tomorrow"
MINDIVIDE "Fragments"
RIGOR SARDONICOUS "Praeparet Bellum"
NEW HORROR REVIEWS TO CHILL YOUR BONES!
Horror makes its return to the Philm Phreaks section this week as DARK STARR puts two indie shockers under his microscope. First up is the well-regarded supernatural screamer "TWO WITCHES" which dishes up diabolical deviltry in classic fashion. Find out HERE if this one lives up to its reputation. Speaking of reputation, the obscure 80's horror "DOLL KILLER" has a reputation of a different kind. Is it really as bad as all that? Look HERE to see what the judgement is!
On the further subject of movie reviews, it won't be long until SOLOMON G unleashes his own brand of cinematic analysis when he takes a look at four grindhouse classics of various vintage. I will be following that up with my look at the career of KERWIN MATHEWS. More musical interviews are also on their way and I hope to tell you about two big ones we are angling to get soon!
An extra sized edition of the Torture Chamber is on tap this week!
MOS GENERATOR "Time// Wounds"
ULTHAR "Helionomicon"
ULTHAR "Anthronomicon"
WORLDWIDE PANIC "Worldwide Panic"
BLOODCLOT "Souls"
ALL OUT WAR "Celestial Rot"
CURSED EXCRUCIATION "Arcane Diabolism"
GRIM JUSTICE "Justice In The Night"
FESTERDECAY "Reality: Rotten To The Core"
AN OLD SPIRIT VISITS WORMWOOD!
This week, we keep things kind of close to home, as we speak to a music veteran who's spent a lot of time in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, the stomping grounds of Wormwood Laboratories. I speak of Mr. JASON HARTMAN and his current curious project, OLD SPIRIT, which is a mixing bowl of several musical styles. Jason has a lot of memories of seeing shows in this area and also playing in bands like VANISHING KIDS and JEX THOTH. The new OLD SPIRIT album "Burning In Heaven" is a quirky testament to an eclectic metal soul and we discuss it in depth, as well as the good old days of the local scene. Hop aboard this interesting chat HERE!
Some pretty heavy duty entries can be found in this week's Torture Chamber...
AIR RAID "Fatal Encounter"
HELLRIPPER "Warlocks Grim And Withered Hags"
NETHERLANDS "Severance"
ACT OF IMPALEMENT "Infernal Ordinance"
SHAAM LAREIN "Sticka En Kniv I Varlden"
71TONMAN "Of End Times"
WORMWOOD'S BEST OF 2022 LISTS ARE HERE!
Yes indeed, humanoids, another year has passed us by and so it is once again time for Wormwood's annual tradition...the writers pick their Top 10 releases for the year of 2022! As always, I will post each writer's #1 pick below. To check out the entire lists, click HERE!
DARK STARR ROYAL HUNT "Dystopia Part 2"
DR. ABNER MALITY PHARMACIST "Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds"
IRON SHEIK QUEENSRYCHE "Digital Noise Alliance"
THRASH-HEAD SOREPTION "Jord"
COLONEL ANGUS EVERGREY "A Heartless Portrait"
THERON MOORE LEATHER "We Are The Chosen"
THOR MUNICIPAL WASTE "Electrified Brain"
LORD RANDALL PANZERFAUST "The Suns Of Perdition--Chapter III: The Astral Drain"
OCTOPI MILLS ARD "Take Up My Bones"
Lots of things hopping around Wormwood Laboratories. I've managed to secure an interview with one of the fastest and most ferocious black metal bands in America, the World War 1 obsessed MINENWERFER! Also working on a HUGE chat with one of the most legendary British rock bands! I also want to announce that our boy THRASH-HEAD will be retiring that name. Henceforth, he will be using the name ARNOLDPLAYSGUITAR! And in some real welcome news, the only and only SOLOMON G will be contributing some capsule grindhouse movie reviews to the Philm Phreaks section. Some of the titles he will be writing about include "Homebodies", "Death Screams" and "Night Feeders"!
In addition to the Best of 2022 lists, we also have the regularly scheduled Torture Chamber!
DELAIN "Dark Waters"
AHAB "The Coral Tombs"
BIZARREKULT "Den Tapte Krigen"
MEGATON SWORD "Might And Power"
DEICIDE "Crucifixtion--The Early Years"
RUDRA "Eight Mahavidyas"
HEED THE WORDS OF DUST PROPHET!
DUST PROPHET is a strange name for a band from the chilly woods of New Hampshire, but there ya go! The band name is just one of the things that LORD RANDALL asked vocalist OTTO KINZEL about in his interview with this fast rising stoner/doom contingent. They even talk about the literary roots of horror in the New England area, something near to our hearts at Wormwood. They also talk about trying to succeed in the new digital music landscape as well as DUST PROPHET's kicking new album "One Last Look Upon the Sky". Check it out HERE!
Next week will finally bring the much anticipated "Best of 2022" lists from the Worm-Crew so get ready for that. More news shall soon be forthcoming...
A very dark and blackened Torture Chamber is on tap this week...
BODYFARM "Ultimate Abomination"
HATE FOREST "Innermost"
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ "Into Sorrow Evermore"
IRON CURTAIN "Metal Gladiator"
DROWNING THE LIGHT "The Ghost Of A Flea" EP
OBELYSKKH "The Ultimate Grace of God"
TASTE THE STEEL OF SWORD!
No list of great Canadian metal bands would be complete without Montreal's SWORD. In action since 1981, these guys have delivered the truest and most classic steel over the ensuing decades, with their latest platter being the simply titled "III". RICK HUGHES has been the voice of SWORD since the beginning and sounds just as clear and piercing now as back in the day. Who better for Wormwood to talk to? We hear some stories about the early days of SWORD, hanging around with a young METALLICA and hobnobbing with the likes of LEMMY and ALICE COOPER, as well as some details on "III" and the always burgeoning Montreal metal scene. Draw your blade and get ready to meet SWORD right HERE!
Coming up very shortly will be Wormwood's highly anticipated "Best of 2022" lists, always a highlight of the year. DARK STARR also tells me he's gotten an interview with European space rockers/heavy proggers CB3 so look for that as well. Working on some more interesting stuff as we speak and there will be big news on coverage of one of the premier live metal events in the world soon!
OBITUARY visits the Torture Chamber this week and they're not alone!
OBITUARY "Dying of Everything"
DEIQUISITOR "Apotheosis"
SCREAMER "Kingmaker"
OLD SPIRIT "Burning In Heaven"
CB3 "Exploration"
HELLEVATE "The Purpose Is Cruelty"
LACERATED "The Vile Domain"
POUNDED INTO DUST BY CANNIBAL CORPSE!
One of the most brutal death metal tours in a long time came roaring through our area not long ago and when such a tidal wave of mayhem comes so close to Wormwood HQ, the Good Doctor must investigate! So you lucky humanoids now get my full report on the CANNIBAL CORPSE tour that played the Apollo Theater in nearby Belvidere, IL! The CANNIBALS did not come alone, but brought a sinister circus of extreme bands with them...Swedish black metallers DARK FUNERAL, New York death metal vets IMMOLATION and NYC blackened madmen BLACK ANVIL. I give a blow by blow description with numerous pics HERE!
That's not the only live concert action Wormwood will be involved with. We just learned this week of the return of the esteemed MILWAUKEE METALFEST, now under the guidance of HATEBREED's JAMEY JASTA, and long time Wormwood fans will know that we covered this great fest a LOT back in the day. So you can be sure we will be at the revival of this great tradition as well. Plus I also plan on covering the upcoming MORBID ANGEL/REVOCATION show at the Apollo. And there might be some very exciting concert news coming from COLONEL ANGUS and THRASH-HEAD shortly, so stay tuned!
Time now for another stroll through the fetid depths of Wormwood's Torture Chamber...
SATANIC WARMASTER "Aamongandr"
CONJURETH "The Parasitic Chambers"
LORD OF THE LOST "Blood And Glitter"
ANZILLU "Ex Nihilo"
ANIMA MORTE "Serpents In the Fields of Sleep"
ASHEN HORDE "Antimony"
STRUCK BY THE HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE!
Don't let the pastoral image above fool you...HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE hits as hard as a guided missile. Now relocated from San Francisco to the wild spaces of Montana (where the above picture was taken), this band has been a hidden gem of America's metal scene. The new HAMMERS album "Overtaker" is a wild and woolly piece of progressive thrash mania with an untamed spirit. I talked to the mastermind of HAMMERS, Mr. JOHN COBBETT, about the new album, the relocation to Montana and how that affected the band, and what led to the return of HAMMERS after a long layoff. Plus, he gives us an extensive list of new metal bands to keep an eye on! Join us for this most interesting discussion HERE!
A couple more tidbits from Wormwood Central for you! THERON MOORE has gotten an interview with one of the first ladies of American heavy metal, LEATHER LEONE! That one's a real feather in our cap. And I hooked up with Mr. JASON HARTMAN, a very busy musical alchemist with a strong background in the Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin music scene. Jason's latest project is the hard to define OLD SPIRIT, which will be getting reviewed here soon. I had a good chat with Jason which will be forthcoming. Also, the renowned Wormwood Chronicles TOP 10 LISTS for the year 2022 are just about complete, so you can find out what we all thought the best of the past year was.
The new Torture Chamber has a really wide range of sounds for you to explore...
DEATHLESS LEGACY "Mater Larvarum"
APPALLING "Sacrilege"
TEN "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
EXPLORER "Still Alive...And Now?"
IN PAIN "The Thing From The Grave"
KORROSIVE "Toxic Apokalypse"
A DOUBLE DOSE OF VINTAGE HORROR WITH THE BAT & AUDREY ROSE!
It's 2023 and a New Year deserves some New Fear! Or in this case, maybe some classic fear instead. The hard-working DARK STARR delves into two very different Blu-Rays and tries to find what makes them special. He first looks at 1977's paranormal chiller "AUDREY ROSE", a look at reincarnation and how it affects real lives. The movie stars the great ANTHONY HOPKINS and the remarkable SUSAN SWIFT...read about it HERE! Then we go back to 1959 to investigate a spooky "dark house" thriller about a masked maniac on the loose, "THE BAT"! This one stars the King of Horror, VINCENT PRICE, as well as AGNES MOORHEAD...read about this one HERE!
That won't be the end of horror reviews at Wormwood, as Starr tells me he will also investigate the more modern horrors "TWO WITCHES" and "DOLL KILLER" soon! As for me, I will take a look at the career of a favorite hero of fantasy and horror films, KERWIN MATTHEWS! As far as the musical end of Wormwood goes, I can tell you I got an interview with JAMES McBAIN of Scotland's blackened thrashers HELLRIPPER, a band that gets their inspiration from the darkest Scottish lore and history. LORD RANDALL tells me he's gotten a chat with New Hampshire's rising doom crew DUST PROPHET! So you can see things are moving along pretty well at Wormwood Laboratories in early 2023...
This week's Torture Chamber revels in some unsung and obscure bands you should investigate...
GUTTER CREEK "Gutter Creek"
MALLEUS "The Fires of Heaven"
SKYTHALA "Boreal Despair"
TRASTORNED "Into The Void"
BAD MANOR "The Haunting"
SICKRECY "Salvation Through Tyranny"
SUMMONING UP DEMONS WITH STORMRULER!
Still playing a bit of catch-up here at Wormwood, but we do it in style with STORMRULER! This wintry duo of black metal warriors are causing much uproar with their epic and majestic take on the style, heard nowhere better than on their new album "Sacred Rites And Black Magick". Surprisingly enough, they hail from the American Midwest and the city of St. Louis! I was granted an audience with drummer JESSE SCHOBEL who filled me in on the STORMRULER saga and where they derive their inspiration from. A pretty down to Earth guy for a knight marching under the black flag of Satan...hear what he had to say HERE!
Working on some new and interesting things for 2023...hope to have news for you humanoids very shortly. One thing I can guarantee is the beloved Top 10 Lists from all the Worm-scribes for the year of 2022!
The New Year brings us a new Torture Chamber...one that jumps around a lot!
LEATHER "We Are The Chosen"
SPIRITWORLD "Deathwestern"
MYCELIUM "Mycoticism: Disseminating the Propagules"
THOTCRIME "D1G1T4L DR1FT"
INDUCTION "Born From Fire"
FAITHXTRACTOR "Contempt for A Failed Dimension"
BACK IN ACTION WITH MOONDOG MURRAY!
Occasionally things go haywire in the never-ending march of science. Computer issues have kept us from updating the site the last couple of weeks but we now seem to have the rampaging AI under control and things are back in their proper place. So let's dive back in to the weird world of Wormwood...
Our last article of 2022 was a unique one for sure! I dived back into the world of pro wrestling and spoke to a young up and coming wrestler from the nearby city of Belvidere, IL, Mr. MOONDOG MURRAY aka DOG-FACED BASTARD GREG MURRAY. This shaggy canine is just starting to put his bite on the wrestling world and brings a different perspective to the subject. The interview was surprisingly emotional and showed how Moondog used wrestling as a literal life-saver. We find out what it's like for a guy just starting his wrestling journey and some other juicy tidbits from the "inside" of the business. It's the most singular feature we've done yet for our "Over The Top Rope" section and you can play catch with the Moondog HERE!
We also delve into the last Torture Chamber of 2022...
GREEN KING "Hidden Beyond Time"
BLACK ANVIL "Regenesis"
TY MORN "Last Villain Testament"
HIGH COMMAND "Eclipse of the Dual Moons"
BARK "Rambler of Aeons"
THE WRING "Spectra"
KILL THE BEAUTIFUL WITH SCREAM TAKER!
Who needs another dose of "Jingle Bells" or worse yet Mariah Carey when you can celebrate the Yule season with the glass-breaking hard rock of SCREAM TAKER? This new band has a classic sound and is composed of seasoned professionals including VINNY APPICE of BLACK SABBATH/DIO fame and STEPH HONDE who's worked with PAUL DI'ANNO. I took some time to talk with their veteran vocalist, Mr. JIM CREAN, who tells us about the genesis of this project and the exact sound they are aiming for. This guy is a member of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame and has worked with THE APPICE BROTHERS for years, so he knows what he's talking about. Find out more by clicking HERE!
We've got a great edition of the Torture Chamber this week, with a wide variety of bands to check out...
EXHUMED "To The Dead"
AIRSTRIKE "Power In Your Hand"
KAMPFAR "Til Klovers Takt"
STRATOVARIUS "Survive"
R.A.M.B.O. "Defy Extinction"
ANTHEA "Tales Untold"
WE GET BLIND IN TEXAS WITH W.A.S.P.!
The revered COLONEL ANGUS recently pulled double duty in Texas, covering not one but two concert extravaganzas in the Lone Star State. These were highly anticipated shows featuring the return of legendary shock rockers W.A.S.P. , who were accompanied by ARMORED SAINT and the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP! Angus covers both shows in details and as usual, has a ton of top class concert photos as well! After reading his report HERE, you'll feel like you were at the shows yourself!
As 2022 draws to a close, things are slowing down a bit here at Wormwood, but I can tell you that I managed to snag a chat with Canada's long running masters of traditional heavy metal SWORD and their iron-lunged singer, RICK HUGHES! Another things you can look forward to is the annual Wormwood TOP 10 OF 2022 LISTS, featuring the diverse picks of our demented staff members. Also coming soon: interviews with HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE, SCREAM MAKER, and STORMRULER, as well as a talk with rising indy wrestler MOONDOG MURRAY, some new horror film reviews and a new Wormwood Files focusing on the spooks of Southern Illinois!
Time to dip into this week's extra-sized edition of the Torture Chamber...
JADED HEART "Heart Attack"
SODOM "Forty Years of War"
THRESHOLD "Dividing Lines"
STRIGOI "Viscera"
KRVNA "For Thine Is The Kingdom of the Flesh"
PALE SPEKTRE "Bereft of Xerotic Layers"
ARKAEON "Parasit"
DEHISCENCE "Colony"
EXTIRPATION "The Endless Storm"
HARMONIC CROSS "The Grand Paradise"
WORMWOOD ANSWERS A LONG DISTANCE CALLING!
This week, DARK STARR reaches across the ocean to Germany and makes contact with LONG DISTANCE CALLING, who are perhaps the country's most successful post-metal/atmospheric rock band. Specifically, he speaks to guitarist/vocalist/mastermind FLORIAN FUNTMANN about the origin of the band's name, their evolution from death metal to more progressive realms and the important environmental message behind their latest album, "Eraser". It's a brief but incisive chat which you can join right HERE.
We're almost at the end of 2022 and activity has slowed down here at Wormwood Laboratories. That being said, we've still got some interesting features in store for you over the next few weeks. Also coming up will be the notorious "Top 10 Releases of 2022" lists from the Worm-crew, which is always a window into the mental processes of our demented staffers. We should have more details for you soon!
The Torture Chamber this week is all over the place, from pompous prog to sheer brutality...
GAEREA "Mirage"
SWORD "III"
MYTHOSPHERE "Pathological"
LEPER COLONY "Leper Colony"
ROYAL HUNT "Dystopia Part II"
DEATHSIEGE "Throne of Heresy"
TWO CLASSIC ALBUMS GET THE WAYBACK TREATMENT!
It's been a while since THE GREAT SUN JESTER has gifted us with one of his patented Wayback Reviews. So to make up for it, he puts TWO classic albums under the microscope this time around. First is an in-depth look at KING DIAMOND's classic horror concept album from 1987, "Abigail". Then he heads back to the hallowed year of 1970 to examine a great under-rated example of proto-metal, "Kingdom Come" by SIR LORD BALTIMORE. You can check out the "Abigail" review HERE and the "Kingdom Come" review HERE. You may get a newfound appreciation for these works of sonic art!
We will have COLONEL ANGUS' live review of W.A.S.P./ARMORED SAINT/MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP coming up shortly. Now we can add another live concert review...my look at the ultra-brutal CANNIBAL CORPSE/ DARK FUNERAL/ IMMOLATION/BLACK ANVIL tour, which made a recent stop in Belvidere, IL. This one really delivered the mayhem!
And now with no further ado, here's the latest Torture Chamber for your inspection...
XENTRIX "Seven Words"
STORMRULER "Sacred Rites and Black Magick"
JUDICATOR "The Majesty of Decay"
SORDID BLADE "Every Battle Has Its Glory"
HISS FROM THE MOAT "The Way Out Of Hell"
NECRODEATH "Singin' In the Pain"
GIVE THANKS FOR GOATWHORE!
As I write this during the Thanksgiving holiday, I can think of no better time to praise and give thanks to the mighty GOATWHORE, who have become one of the true mainstays of the extreme metal world. It has now been 25 years since their first record was unleashed on an unsuspecting world and 2022 brings us their newest tribute to blasphemy and mayhem, "Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven". Therefore I shift gears from turkeys to goats and present this interview with longtime drummer, ZACK SIMMONS, who tells us all about the world of GOATWHORE in the year of our Lord 2022. You may partake of the feast HERE, if you have the stomach for it.
This year has seen quite a few horror movie reviews grace the Philm Phreaks section and I can confirrm that trend will continue, as DARK STARR will soon have some more for your enjoyment. He'll be taking a look at the classic VINCENT PRICE thriller "The Bat" and the 70's tale of haunting reincarnation "Audrey Rose" as well as a new indy horror that's been attracting a lot of comment, "Two Witches". So keep your eyes peeled for those!
This week's Torture Chamber has got a pretty diverse offering of bands for you to check out...
SKID ROW "The Gang's All Here"
HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE "Overtaker"
IN THE WOODS "Diversum"
IRON KINGDOM "The Blood of Creation"
JESTERS OF DESTINY "Distorting Everything"
GROUND "Habitual Self Abuse"
THE RETURN OF MERCYFUL FATE!
Deep in the heart of Texas, a KING returned to claim his throne and Wormwood was there to capture the moment! COLONEL ANGUS was lucky enough to see the legendary MERCYFUL FATE return to live action and he shares the experience with us here! KING DIAMOND and his cohorts have been burning up American stages recently and they weren't alone, as German thrash kings KREATOR and masked marauders MIDNIGHT accompanied them on the trek. Angus reports on the highly anticipated tour HERE and also presents a ton of beautiful top-notch photos as well.
That won't be the last of our concert reports, as ANGUS also caught the recent W.A.S.P./ARMORED SAINT tour as well. Plus The Good Doctor plans on seeing a major death metal event in the vicinity and spilling the beans on it also! Now I want to take the time to introduce you humanoids to the newest member of Wormwood Laboratories, the esteemed IRON SHEIK, who provides a review of the latest from doom metal titans CANDLEMASS in the latest Torture Chamber below. Expect to see more from The Sheik soon!
Speaking of the Torture Chamber, wait no more...it is upon you!
CANDLEMASS "Sweet Evil Sun"
DEFLESHED "Grind Over Matter"
ANOMALY "Somewhere Within The Pines"
ACID WITCH "Rot Among Us"
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX "Banefyre"
RIPPED TO SHREDS "Jubian"
HOUKAGO GRIND TIME "Houkago Grind Time 2: The Second Raid"
WE INTERVIEW THE ONE AND ONLY QUEENSRYCHE!
We get to talk to one of the true titans of heavy metal and hard rock this week! COLONEL ANGUS had the privilege of talking to singer TODD LA TORRE of the incomparable QUEENSRYCHE and you'll get to read the result! This is a band that's been through a ton of turmoil over the years but seems to have overcome the adversity to enter a new golden age with the help of their recent material. The latest RYCHE record is "Digital Noise Alliance" and La Torre discusses it in detail. He also addresses how the songwriting process has changed since he's joined the band. You can read the interview right HERE!
Well, it looks like Wormwood will soon have a new Worm-scribe adding his scribblings to the site! It is time to welcome IRON SHEIK to the fold...no, not the wrestler from Iran, but rather a raconteur from the Good Doctor's own hometown of Rockford. Look for some high profile reviews from the Sheik here very soon!
This week's Torture Chamber features a trip to an "Astral Fortress" as well as regurgitation from a vile Chicago band...
DARKTHRONE "Astral Fortress"
BONES "Vomit"
HAIL CONJURER "Earth Penetration"
ARKHETH "Clarity Came With A Cool Summer's Breeze"
IRON ALLIES "Blood In, Blood Out"
DYSGNOSTIC "Scar Echoes"
CROSS SWORDS WITH CONAN!
This week, prepare thy ears (and ass) for a beating at the hands of England's ruthless sludge-lords CONAN! True to their name, they give no quarter when they plug in and rock out. Their latest album "Evidence of Immortality" may be their heaviest and most ambitious yet. I spoke to vocalist/guitarist JON DAVIS about all things CONAN and he was quite expressive in his answers. Find out what keeps these barbarians on the attack right HERE!
Things ae still rolling along hot and heavy here at Wormwood HQ! Our pal COLONEL ANGUS was not just content with doing a live review of the recent MERCYFUL FATE/KREATOR show in Dallas...he also recently attended a gig featuring the likes of W.A.S.P., ARMORED SAINT and MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP. So you will also soon be reading his report on that, as well as checking the many beautiful pics he took! I also want to let you know that I grabbed an interview with one of the most underrated metal bands around, HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE. Also, our pro wrestling section is soon going to get a unique interview with up-and-coming indy wrestler MOONDOG MURRAY, who hails from nearby Belvidere, IL! Add that to upcoming chats with QUEENSRYCHE, GOATWHORE, STORMRULER, LONG DISTANCE CALLING and SCREAM TAKER! Whew!
Bands old and new, well-known and obscure, make up this week's Torture Chamber...
RAZOR "Cycle of Contempt"
EMBRACE OF THORNS "Entropy Dynamics"
DAEVA "Through Sheer Will and Black Magic..."
ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE "Ritual Violence"
SCREAM TAKER "Kill The Beautiful"
WORM "Bluenothing"
BLACK ROYAL "Earthbound"
MORBIFIC "Squirm Beyond the Mortal Realm"
LABYRINTH OF STARS "Spectrum Xenomorph"
ENTER THE CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD!
The Season of the Witch is upon us! And the Season of the Ghoul, the Season of the Wolf...and the Season of the Vampire! To celebrate, I take an in-depth look at a grindhouse vampire flick from 1973, "CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD", starring ANDREW PRINE and MARK DAMON. It's quite a gloomy and atmospheric look at an island haunted by Hannah, Queen of the Vampires. I grab some dogbane and see what makes Hannah one of the more sympathetic female vampires in film...find out more HERE. And if that's not enough, DARK STARR takes a look at the moody but frustrating modern folk horror film "SATOR"....you can check that out HERE!
Last week, I mentioned we had some live concert reviews coming up. Well, I can now confirm that COLONEL ANGUS got one for the super-anticipated MERCYFUL FATE/KREATOR/ MIDNIGHT show that came to Dallas, Texas recently. He took some absolutely amazing photos to accompany the write up as well. There should be some more concert review news coming soon. That's not all...I've got some more interview news! I recently talked to the outstanding young black metal band STORMRULER from St. Louis and a great new hard rock outfit called SCREAM TAKER that features superstar drummer VINNY APPICE, French guitar whiz STEPH HONDE and celebrated vocalist JIM CREAN. So look for those down the pike! And yes, the Wayback Reviews from THE GREAT SUN JESTER will soon return in force, with reviews of KING DIAMOND's classic "Abigail" and SIR LORD BALTIMORE's "Kingdom Come". Yeah, bunky, it's busy as hell at the Wormwood Compound but more is on the way yet!
This week's Torture Chamber has surely got some heavy hitters to keep your attention!
TALAS "1985"
AUTOPSY "Morbidity Triumphant"
NASHVILLE PUSSY "Eaten Alive"
ASYLUM "Tyrannicide"
GOATWHORE "Angels Hung From The Arches of Heaven"
SINNERY "Black Bile"
WE GET BLITZKRIEGED BY HATRIOT!
This week, Wormwood gets engulfed by a furious onslaught of thrash as the mighty THOR interviews HATRIOT! He speaks to band leader CODY SOUZA, who has metal in the blood because his Dad is none other than ZETRO SOUZA of EXODUS fame! We hear what it's like following in the footsteps of such a metal titan and how Cody has worked to make sure HATRIOT can stand on its own two feet. Plus, we find out about the band's ground-breaking new album "The Vale of Shadows". Grab your neckbrace and dive in HERE!
A little bird tells me that we may soon be having some major live concert coverage here at WC. Who the band's are I will soon reveal and they are all heavy hitters, so stay tuned. There will also be some new interview announcements to add to our already impressive list of upcoming interrogations.
The Torture Chamber this week is a double-barreled shotgun of metallic mayhem aimed straight at your face!
BLIND GUARDIAN "The God Machine"
CONAN "Evidence of Immortality"
SLUGCRUST "Ecocide"
METALIAN "Beyond the Wall"
CASKET ROBBERY "Rituals of Death"
IMPRECATION "In Nomine Diaboli"
SARCATOR "Alkahest"
MORTUOUS "Upon Desolation"
CAVERNOUS GATE "Voices From the Fathomless Realm"
A PALE HORSEMAN RIDES INTO WORMWOOD!
Chicago bands are always close to our heart here at Wormwood Laboratories so it was a natural for LORD RANDALL to speak to the Windy City's masters of gloomy, heavy riffage, PALE HORSEMAN. He chats with the voice of the band, the enigmatic FLESH, and delves deep into their creative process and how they've grown over the years. There's also some talk of Chicago's native cuisine and the possible future of legendary venue THE DOUBLE DOOR. Saddle up, hombre, and ride into the apocalypse HERE.
The hits keep on coming at Wormwood! Now COLONEL ANGUS has snagged an interview with no less a personage than TODD DE LA TORRE of the incomparable QUEENSRYCHE! This will be one of the biggest chats we've snagged this year. You can add that to the upcoming HATRIOT, GOATWHORE, LONG DISTANCE CALLING and CONAN interviews. I hope to have news soon of another major name to add to the list!
The new edition of the Torture Chamber is one of the heaviest we've had in a while!
HIEROPHANT "Death Siege"
VENOM INC. "There's Only Black"
TRAUMA "Awakening"
ACEPHALIX "Theothanatology"
LAWNMOWER DETH "Blunt Cutters"
NORDJEVEL "Gnavhol"
MORE HORROR THAN YOU CAN HANDLE!
We are officially in Halloween season so what better time to delve into some new horror releases? The ever-busy DARK STARR has two more ghoulish offerings to put under his microscope...the results are indeed horrid, but maybe not in the way you might think. First up is a look at the Blu-Ray release of the 1991 cult atrocity "SLAUGHTERDAY". This is almost literally a home movie released as a commercial film...a shabby knock-off of "The Evil Dead". Is it still entertaining despite its flaws? Find out HERE. Then we go in a moodier and more psychological direction with "THE HAUNTING OF MIA MOSS". Is this story of a woman confronting her long suppressed demons worth sticking with? The answer is HERE.
I said some big announcements were on the way. Well, here they are! First, we grabbed an interview with the long running evil thrashers GOATWHORE! Specifically, I spoke to drummer ZACK SIMMONS about what's new in the dismal world of the furry prostitutes. Coming up soon! As if that wasn't enough, I also crossed swords once more with barbaric sludge-masters CONAN! I chat with mainman JON DAVIS about just how heavy this band can get. You can add these two to upcoming interviews with PALE HORSEMAN, HATRIOT and LONG DISTANCE CALLING. And also to let you know, the subject of the next Wormwood Files will be ghostly tales of Southern Illinois! Our plate is plenty full...and more to come!
The Torture Chamber this week is a mix of well-known and newer bands!
QUEENSRYCHE "Digital Noise Alliance"
BLOODBATH "Survival of the Sickest"
LEADER OF DOWN "The Screwtape Letters"
HAMMERSTAR "Hammerstar"
MANIC ABRAXAS "Foreign Winds"
GUTVOID "Durance of Lightless Horizons"
AFTER ALL "Eos"
VOAK "Verdrangung"
DIABOLOGY "Father of Serpents"
UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES OF GEMATRIA!
This week's interview may reveal a whole new way of thinking about things in addition to educating you about a great new band. I speak to the members of GEMATRIA, a new instrumental outfit whose progressive and surprising music is assembled using an ages old method also known as "gematria". It's something the ancient rabbis cooked up to transform words into numbers and then discern their cosmic meaning. Well, RAY SUHY and STEVE HONOSHOWSKY also used the mystical math to compose the music on their new album "Gematria II: The Spindle of Necessity". It's a fascinating chat with a couple of forward thinking pros and like Bill Cosby used to say, if you're not careful, you might just learn something! Find out more HERE!
More news from Wormwood Central! HATRIOT is on the way to Wormwood. Our own God of Thunder THOR spoke to CODY SOUZA, no less than the son of ZETRO SOUZA of EXODUS fame, about this ripping thrash band and you will soon read the result here. Also coming soon will be the ever-busy DARK STARR's discussion with LONG DISTANCE CALLING, one of Europe's best post-metal bands. There will be some more big announcements soon!
The Torture Chamber this week includes reviews of boozehounds TANKARD, modern metal masters MACHINE HEAD and a former DEEP PURPLE cover band gone original!
PURPENDICULAR "Human Mechanic"
TANKARD "Pavlov's Dawgs"
CAUSTIC CASANOVA "Glass Enclosed Nerve Center"
MISCREANCE "Convergence"
MACHINE HEAD "Of Kingdom and Crown"
TYRANTS OF CHAOS "Relentless Thirst For Power"
EXPLORE THE DARK SEASONS OF SIGH!
As I write these words, the weather has changed from summer to autumn and the leaves have begun to fall. So there's no more appropriate time for me to speak to Japan's eccentric black metal legends SIGH and their thoughtful frontman MIRAI KAWASHIMA. The latest SIGH album "Shiki" deals with the change of seasons and life's journey from spring to winter. This is an interview I've long wanted to do and it doesn't disappoint. Mirai is a very honest and articulate guy who discusses his own grappling with mortality. Check out this killer interview HERE!
I know DARK STARR has been working overtime on movie reviews recently and I'm trying to keep up! Look for my review of the early 70's vampire flick "CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD" soon! And as always, keep watching this space for news on upcoming Wormwood projects...
This week, heavy hitters like MEGADETH and GRAVE DIGGER drop in to the Torture Chamber!
MEGADETH "The Sick, The Dying...And the Dead"
GRAVE DIGGER "Symbol of Eternity"
SKARE "Skare"
VALBORG "Der Alte"
GEMATRIA "Gematria II: The Spindle of Necessity"
SEVENTH STORM "Maledictus"
TWO CULT HORROR REVIEWS FOR YOU FIENDS!
Our boy DARK STARR has once again dipped into the vaults of cult horror and come up with some new reviews for the Philm Phreaks section. First he takes a look at a devilish slice of 70's Satanic cinema "THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN", starring the great STROTHER MARTIN as Lucifer's top dog on Earth. Check that out HERE. Then we go back to the good old days of high school....or maybe they weren't quite as great as we remember them? Especially if you went to Central High. That's right...he takes a look at the violent cult feature "MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH", which dishes up a sizable amount of social comment to go along with plenty of blood. That one you can find HERE.
Starr tells me there's even more on the way, so look out soon for reviews of the insane zero budget gore flick "SLAUGHTERDAY" and the more contemporary psychological thriller "THE HAUNTING OF MIA MOSS". As far as band interviews go, LORD RANDALL tells me that he should soon have a chat with Chicago's unsung sludge/doom heroes PALE HORSEMAN. Lots more is in the pipe, so stay tuned!
Ready for your weekly dive into the Torture Chamber? Light your torch and follow me...
I AM "Eternal Steel"
SIGH "Shiki"
SANTA CRUZ "The Return of the Kings"
TRIAL (SWE) "Feed The Fire"
DE PROFUNDIS "The Corruption of Virtue"
PERVERSION "Dies Irae"
TRIUMVIR FOUL "Onslaught To Seraphim"
SKELATOR "Blood Empire" EP
FLESHROT "Unburied Corpse"
BOW DOWN TO YOUR SAVAGE MASTER!
I come to you humanoids battered and bruised this week. I've just had a session in the pleasure dungeon of STACEY SAVAGE, mistress of the metal fiends known as SAVAGE MASTER. And I loved every minute of it! I had a stimulating chat with Stacey about what the band has been up to (it's no good, I'm sure), including their new album "Those Who Hunt At Night" and the cool video that accompanies the title track. Find out more straight from the fanged mouth of the mistress herself right HERE!
HORROR and MAYHEM is coming to the Philm Phreaks section, as we will have a slew of new movie reviews courtesy of DARK STARR. He will be tackling the diabolical drive-in classic "The Brotherhood of Satan", the 80's cult favorite "Massacre at Central High" and the more recent psychological thriller "The Haunting of Mia Moss". Plus maybe more! In addition, I'm doing my own review of "Crypt of the Living Dead" so plenty of celluloid chaos is on the way...
You don't have to wait any longer for the Wormwood Torture Chamber. Stacey Savage is unfortunately not there, but plenty of strange and outre album reviews are!
NICOLAS CAGE FIGHTER "The Bones That Came From Pain"
REEKING AURA "Blood and Bonemeal"
OLLI HANNINEN & SAMMI HYNNINEN "Chambers"
EVERMORE "Court of the Tyrant King"
H.E.A.T. "Force Majeure"
MOTHS "Space Force"
EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE WITH ASTRAL MAGIC!
You will need to make sure your space suit has got plenty of oxygen as we head into outer space for an interview with Finnish space rock prodigies ASTRAL MAGIC! DARK STARR was first into the airlock to speak to MIKA LAAKSO, the cosmic genius behind the sounds of ASTRAL MAGIC. Mika is a cheerful space cadet with plenty to say about this incredibly prolific band, who seem to put out an album every other month! What causes such an outburst of creativity? Open your hailing frequency and find out more HERE!
We got an extra sized helping of Torture Chamber reviews this week....some pretty dark material in there...
SPELLBOOK "Deadly Charms"
TOMBS "Ex Oblivion"
ABHOR "Sex Sex Sex"
VRENTH "Succumb To Chaos"
FIRTAN "Marter"
DEAD TIRED "Satan Will Follow You Home"
KILL DIVISION "Peace Through Tyranny"
MY SLEEPING KARMA "Atma"
BLACK RIVER "Generation Axe"
A DOUBLE DOSE OF ANVIL!
This week, you Worm-fiends are gonna get all the ANVIL you can handle and more! First off is my face to face interview with legendary LIPS, leader of the band since its formation in 1978! One thing's for sure, he doesn't hold back on his opinions. Find out what he thinks is wrong with modern heavy metal and also the simple secrets of ANVIL's long-term success. It's a blunt and effective chat which you can read HERE! And if that's not enough, I also review their recent live show in Madison, WI, where they were accompanied by WHITE WIZZARD, MIDNITE HELLION and more. Click HERE to get my take on the tour!
To say things are starting to heat up here at Wormwood HQ would be a gross understatement. Just today, I got a finished interview with one of Japan's most unique and respected metal bands, SIGH! I can confirm that long-time leader MIRAI also had a lot to say. I also grabbed an interview with a very interesting progressive instrumental band GEMATRIA, who create all their music using the ancient Jewish system of numerology also called gematria. One of the coolest chats I've had in a while. And no, that ain't all! Because SAVAGE MASTER is also coming to Wormwood! Look for my talk with the Queen of the Night, STACEY SAVAGE! This is just the tip of the iceberg, because a lot more is on the way!
This week's Torture Chamber hits with a hard and heavy groove that will wreck your neck!
HATRIOT "The Vale of Shadows"
BELPHEGOR "The Devils"
TREYHARSH "Eternal Cycles"
SPIRITUS MORTIS "The Great Seal"
SEEP "Hymns To The Gore"
MORTUUS "Diablerie"
KEYBOARD WIZARD DEREK SHERINIAN DROPS BY...
This time around, DARK STARR has got a brief chat with one of the true maestros of the rock n roll keyboard, MR. DEREK SHERINIAN. Derek's credits could fill a phone book, but he's done work with BILLY IDOL, KISS, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION and of course DREAM THEATER. But his own list of solo records is also sizable and the latest is called "Vortex". Join him to find out more HERE...
Expect more exciting announcements soon from Wormwood HQ. In the meantime, look for an interview with ANVIL as well as a live concert review of them in action next week...
The Torture Chamber this week is not only wild and woolly but extra-sized as well!
SAOR "Origins"
BLACK MAGNET "Body Prophecy"
LUCID GRAVE "Cosmic Mountain"
INHUMAN CONDITION "Fearsick"
STICK MEN "Tentacles"
XENOGLYPH "Spiritfraud"
FEARSORE "Bloedwyrx"
WOLFBRIGADE "Anti-Tank Dogs" EP
SWIM OR DROWN "Torment" EP
HOOVES AND HORNS "I Am The Skel Messiah"
GET READY TO ROT WITH MOLDER!
The stench of putrefaction fills the air at Wormwood Laboratories this week as we welcome Joliet's menacing maniacs MOLDER to the fold. If you like disgusting death metal that has equal parts revulsion and catchiness, then these are your boys. And they don't try to disguise the fact, either, as you will learn when you read my interview with guitarist/vocalist AAREN PANTKE. He tells us about the origins and goals of MOLDER as well as the lowdown on new album "Engrossed With Decay". If you really want to get down with the sickness, forget DISTURBED and hop aboard the MOLDER train instead. Find out more HERE!
Things continue to move along smartly here at Wormwood HQ. I can tell you there will be a new PHILM PHREAKS article looking at the early 70's vampire flick "CRYPT OF THE LIVING DEAD". Keep an eye out for interviews with ANVIL, DEREK SHERINIAN, ASTRAL MAGIC and more as well!
A good selection of bands appear in this week's Torture Chamber, including my pick for album of the year thus far...
SINNER "Brotherhood"
SAVAGE MASTER "Those Who Hunt At Night"
WEREWOLVES "From The Cave To The Grave"
PHARMACIST "Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds"
ENCHANTMENT "Cold Soul Embrace"
CELESTIAL WIZARD "Winds of the Cosmos"
WORMWOOD FILES IS BACK! IN SEARCH OF AFRICA'S KILLER CRYPTIDS!
It's been a LOOOONG time since we've posted a new edition of the Wormwood Files here at Wormwood, but the drought is over at last and we dive headlong into the world of the weird and unknown. This time our search takes us to Darkest Africa where we try to find the truth about two of the most vicious unknown creatures around, the NANDI BEAR and the MNGWA! These two bloodthirsty brutes used to be the terror of their respective areas but are little seen now. What exactly is the Nandi Bear...giant hyena, giant baboon, killer aardvark or prehistoric chalicothere? We try to find out. As for the Mngwa, it's a mysterious giant cat that would give even a lion the willies. Read more about these two killer cryptids HERE!
This week's Torture Chamber is not only extra big but features the return of THERON MOORE to WC!
MUNICIPAL WASTE "Electrified Brain"
MANTAR "Pain Is Forever And This Is The End"
BLUT AUS NORD "Disharmonium--Undreamable Abysses"
PROTECTOR "Excessive Outburst of Depravity"
QUARTZ "On The Edge of No Tomorrow"
BALLS GONE WILD "Stay Wild"
MONASTERIUM "Cold Are The Graves"
SPECIES "To Find Deliverance"
RESISTANCE "Skulls of My Enemies"
AN APPOINTMENT WITH PHARMACIST!
Your prescription is now ready so it's time to meet the PHARMACIST! Of course, this time the prescription is for sick yet progressive death metal in the vein of CARCASS, so who better to deliver your medicine than this mysterious European pill pusher? This master of medical grindcore has delivered a masterpiece of an album with "Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds" so I felt that I, Dr. Abner Mality, a fellow practitioner of ghoulish high volume arts, was duty-bound to investigate. You can read the results of that investigation HERE...but you better have your sick bag ready!
LOTS of news to report in Wormville! Speaking of sickening bands, I can relate that I also grabbed a chat with Chicago's gory sickos MOLDER. Even better, my mission to speak to the legendary Lips of ANVIL was also a success, so an interview with him is also forthcoming, along with a review of the recent ANVIL show in Madison, WI. That's not all, sports fans! DARK STARR informs me that he's recently talked to keyboard wizard supreme DEREK SHERINIAN, who we haven't talked to in quite some time. Not only that, he also ventured into the Oort Cloud to speak to Finnish space rockers ASTRAL MAGIC! Look for both of those soon. Now there's even more cool stuff on the way that I should be able to spill the beans about soon!
For this week's Torture Chamber, MICHAEL SCHENKER drops by, along with some seriously disturbing bands...
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP "Universal"
MOLDER "Engrossed In Decay"
HOLOCAUSTO CANIBAL "Cruenza Ferina"
TEUFELSBERG "Ordre Du Diable"
NEGATIVE PLANE "The Pact"
MORBID EVILS "Supernaturals"
TWO HORROR REVIEWS: EDGE OF SANITY & THE RIGHTEOUS
Time once more to delve into the world of freaky film as we offer not one, but two new reviews for our Philm Phreak section. DARK STARR tackles two new Blu-Rays from Arrow Video. One is an unappreciated psycho horror film from 1989 "EDGE OF SANITY" featuring the immortal ANTHONY PERKINS as a killer who combines aspects of Mr. Hyde and Jack The Ripper! Then we look at something more contemporary, with the slow-burning tale of supernatural tension known as "THE RIGHTEOUS". Are these 2 fear flicks worth your hard-earned shekels? Click HERE and HERE and find out for yourself!
Your pal the Good Doctor will soon be reviewing a live show featuring the metal veterans ANVIL, along with a gang of true metal bands including WHITE WIZZARD and MIDNITE HELLION. If I get real lucky, I must just be grabbing a face to face interview with LIPS himself! I'll let you know next week exactly what happened. Plus some more major interview news will be on the horizon!
We squeezed out a few more reviews for this week's Torture Chamber! Peruse and enjoy!
ARTHUR BROWN "Long, Long Road"
GRONIBARD "Regarde Les Hommes Sucer"
PANZERFAUST "The Suns of Perdition: Chapter III--The Astral Drain"
BEGRIME EXEMIOUS "Rotting In the Aftermath"
TOXIK "Dis Morta"
ANTIGAMA "Whiteout"
VOIMATON "Profane Vestige"
CRISIS BENOIT "El Culto de la Muerte"
ILLUCIA '"A New Reign"
A BLAST FROM THE PAST WITH APOCALYPSE!
DARK STARR presents some very unusual for you Worm-fiends this time around, as he unearths a forgotten prog rock band from the 70's that is finally releasing their first record after 46 years! The band is APOCALYPSE, hailing from the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst and Starr speaks to one of their guiding lights, guitarist TOM SALVATORI! He unfolds the tale of how this band came up during the same age that produced STYX and KANSAS and had ambitions of joining them. But then real life got in the way and the tapes for the first APOCALYPSE album "The Castle" were stored away and forgotten...until now! It's a great trip back in time that you can join HERE!
Big things are in the works for Wormwood, but until they're in the bag, I can only tease and tantalize about what's coming up. I hope to have a live review with one of the great names of 80's metal and maybe an in person interview to go with it, while OCTOPI MILLS is hoping to speak to a true rock legend who goes back even further in time. Stay tuned and wish us luck, because these would be cool as hell to get!
This week's Torture Chamber brings us visits from KREATOR and JORN along with other intriguing names!
KREATOR "Hatred Uber Alles"
ATARAXY "The Last Mirror"
A CHAT WITH WISCONSIN LEGENDS VIOGRESSION!
One of the mainstays of Wisconsin's always interesting death metal scene has been VIOGRESSION. With a lineage that goes all the way back to 1988, this brutal bunch has recently made a spectacular return after an absence of some years. Their new album "3rd Stage of Decay" is their most ambitious by far and shows some new sides to the band while retaining their trademark aggression. I was fortunate enough to connect with drummer DUANE TIMLIN recently for a chat about the past, present and future of VIOGRESSION. Hop on board and see what it' all about right HERE!
Some big announcements coming soon from the Wormcrew! I can tell you that the first new edition of the Wormwood Files in many years is in the planning stages and will take a look at mysterious killer cryptids of Africa. Also, look for a plethora of new movie reviews from DARK STARR! Should have some interview announcements shortly!
This week's Torture Chamber may just be the heaviest ever!
SEVERE TORTURE "Fisting The Sockets"
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN "Artificial Brain"
NEKKROMANIAC "Plague Eater"
DESECRESY "Unveil In The Abyss"
HUSH "The Pornography of Ruin"
VOLCANDRA "Border World"
ENTER THE TEMPLE OF VOID!
LORD RANDALL ushers us into the solemn world of death/doom stalwarts TEMPLE OF VOID this week! This Michigan band has created an eerie and atmospheric take on crushingly heavy music that is pretty unique and heard nowhere better than their new Relapse album "Summoning The Slayer". He speaks to guitarist ALEX AWN about the alchemy behind the album's creation and the band's steady rise through the ranks to their present position. You can enter this beguiling realm HERE!
We now present the latest Torture Chamber that goes pretty much everywhere and reviews everything!
DARKANE "Inhuman Spirits"
SHED THE SKIN "Thaumogenesis"
COME TO GRIEF "When The World Dies"
HEART ATTACK "Negative Sun"
DAN REED NETWORK "Let's Hear It For The King"
VIOLENTOR "Manifesto di Odio"
SERPENT ASCENDING "Hyperborean Folklore"
FELLOWSHIP "The Saberlight Chronicles"
GOATCHRIST "Odes To the Radiant One"
WE CHECK OUT ADRENALINE WRESTLING!
We head back to the squared circle this week to check out the grunt n' groan antics of a new wrestling promotion, ADRENALINE WRESTLING! This bunch recently debuted in nearby Loves Park with a card that included such well known grapplers as MYRON REED, JAKE CRIST and JDX, as well as home-grown star FEARLESS MUSA! They promised to deliver hard-hitting hybrid wrestling action. Did they? Read HERE to find out! Including plenty of photos. (The pic above is solely the property of Adrenaline Wrestling.)
Pretty soon, Dr. Mality will be meeting up with a pharmaceutical compatriot...the mysterious death metal dispenser known only as PHARMACIST! I grabbed an interview with this enigmatic genius, which you will soon be able to peruse here at WC.
Our Torture Chamber this week includes names both new and well-known...
COSMIC PUTREFACTION "Crepuscular Dirge For the Blessed Ones"
DECAPITATED "Cancer Culture"
ANVIL "Impact Is Imminent"
BESIEGED "Violence Beyond All Reason"
THE AGE OF ORE "Malevolence"
TEMPLE OF VOID "Summoning The Slayer"
FEEL THE HEAT OF IRONFLAME!
Here at Wormwood, our search for the truest of metal is never-ending. Once in a while, we cross paths with warriors bearing the sharpest of steel, such as IRONFLAME! These guys deliver the goods on their latest album, "Where Madness Dwells". One of the chief architects of IRONFLAME and their voice is ANDREW D'CAGNA. I managed to grab a chat with the busy frontman and now present the result to you. He tells us how the new album found its origin in tragedy and also how juggles IRONFLAME with his other bands, NECHOCHWEN, ICARUS WITCH and BRIMSTONE COVEN. He's a very focused and articulate fellow, so climb about HERE!
Our Torture Chamber this time around is an extra-sized portion of underground musical goodness...
GREENBEARD "Variant"
IRONFLAME "Where Madness Dwells"
VETUS SUPULCRUM "A Shroud of Desolation"
HAUNTER "Discarnate Ails"
ASTRAL MAGIC "Lords of Space"
DEFECT DESIGNER "Neanderthal"
MAGNATAR "Crushed"
CARAVELLUS "Inter Mundos"
KRYPTAMOK "Kataklysmi"
A LOOK AT THE PSYCHOTRONIC CAREER OF CAMERON MITCHELL!
We return to the world of cult film this week as I take a look at the career of a true psychotronic legend, CAMERON MITCHELL. The star of well over 200 movies, Mitchell's career ran the gamut from Oscar nominated work to starring in some of the most outrageous films ever made, including the likes of "Nightmare in Wax", "The Toolbox Murders", "Frankenstein Island" and "Supersonic Man". It's a story of perseverance and making the most of whatever life gives you. Prepare to enter the domain of "anything goes" film by joining us HERE!
Lots of news to report this week! LORD RANDALL has gotten an interview with one of the most interesting American metal bands, the atmospheric death/doom masters TEMPLE OF VOID! And I've managed to hook up with Wisconsin's legendary death metal band VIOGRESSION, who have recently returned to action after a prolonged layoff. You can add these to DARK STARR's interview with forgotten Rockford prog band APOCALYPSE and my look at the new ADRENALINE WRESTLING promotion. Lots more coming soon!
And now let's dive into the most recent onslaught of Torture Chamber reviews...
SKULLFIST "Paid In Full"
IRONHAWK "Rituals of the War Path"
SPELLFORGER "Upholders of Evil"
CHOREOMANIC "Choreomanic"
SKULLSHITTER "Goat Claw"
KAMPFAR "Fandens Trall"
DEVIL'S TRAIN "Ashes And Bones"
CAN YOU SURVIVE SADISTIC RITUAL?
Coming straight out of Hot-lanta, GA is SADISTIC RITUAL, a promising new thrash metal unit that is striving to develop an original sound. Their new album "The Enigma, Boundless" is a relentless and challenging work of musical fury. Well, us intrepid humanoids of Wormwood are always on the prowl for acts like this, so Dr. Abner Mality hooked up with drummer JOE SWEAT to get the dope on the psychedelic-influenced band. You can check out the result of this little chat HERE and perhaps you should have some mushrooms handy while perusing it!
In other news, our resident prog wizard DARK STARR will have an intriguing interview coming up with a local Rockford band that is finally releasing their magnum opus after a break of 46 years! They are called APOCALYPSE and you will be hearing from them soon. Also, look for my review of the ADRENALINE WRESTLING card that recently played in Loves Park and featured names like MYRON REED, JAKE CRIST and local boy made good, FEARLESS MUSA! We should have some more news on upcoming features shortly!
Here now is this week's Torture Chamber featuring a pretty diverse selection of bands...
ZERO HOUR "Agenda 21"
SADISTIC RITUAL "The Enigma, Boundless"
FRIENDS OF HELL "Friends of Hell"
SKUMSTRIKE "Deadly Intrusions"
INTOLERANCE "Dark Paths of Humanity"
SAINT VITUS' "BORN TOO LATE" GETS THE WAYBACK TREATMENT!
Time for another deep dive into a seminal album, conducted by none other than THE GREAT SUN JESTER! This time, Jester sets the Wayback Machine to 1986 to examine one of the great doom metal albums, "Born Too Late" by SAINT VITUS. All of the early VITUS albums are indispensable, but this is arguably the album that helped VITUS climb to the top of the heap. It was the first album to feature SCOTT "WINO" WEINRICH of THE OBSESSED on lead vocals and it seemed to delve deeper into realms of real personal pain than prior works. Let THE GREAT SUN JESTER be your guide as we put "Born Too Late" under the microscope HERE.
Wrestling fans, I will soon be covering yet another new federation making its home in the Rockford area, ADRENALINE WRESTLING. They've got a strong lineup including SILAS YOUNG, MYRON REED and Rockford's own FEARLESS MUSA. I'll soon let you know what it's all about!
You know what's next...the one, the only Wormwood Torture Chamber!
MOURNFUL CONGREGATION "The Exuviae of Gods, Part I"
CHARGER "Warhorse"
HELSOTT "Will and The Witch"
MOLTEN CHAINS "Orisons of Vengeance"
NUNSLAUGHTER/BLOOD "Split Mini LP"
NATIONAL NAPALM SYNDICATE "The New Hell"
MISFIRE HITS THE BULLSEYE!
After talking to bands in India and Pakistan, it's kind of cool to find one a lot closer to home. Enter MISFIRE, from the Murder City of Chicago. These three bruisers have come up with a sound that's just as tough as their home town, which you can hear on their debut album "Sympathy For the Ignorant". Despite being a new name, they have deep roots in the metal scene, which I find discover when talking to drummer JAMES NICODEMUS! James' answers are a lot like MISFIRE's own music...basic but hard-hitting. Find out more HERE!
Also coming soon will be an interview with traditional metal sensations IRONFLAME, who just played the Blades of Steel Festival. Also coming up will be a chat with SADISTIC RITUAL, a look at the career of eccentric movie star CAMERON MITCHELL and a report on ADRENALINE WRESTLING, a hot new promotion in our area. Also, THE GREAT SUN JESTER has selected the legendary album "Born Too Late" by SAINT VITUS as the subject of his next Wayback Review. That should be appearing very soon!
It's time for a new overstuffed version of the Wormwood Torture Chamber!
EVERGREY "A Heartless Portrait"
STATIC ABYSS "Labyrinth of Veins"
WATAIN "The Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"
NO/MAS "Consume/Deny/Repent"
VIOGRESSION "3RD Stage of Decay"
UFOMAMMUT "Fenice"
VIANDE "L'abime devore les Ames"
REDSHARK "Digital Race"
APARTHIVA RAKTADHARA "Adyapeeth Maranasamhita"
A CHAT WITH INDIA'S ROCK TIGERS GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES!
Last week we traveled to Pakistan to speak to the ferocious AZAAB, masters of death metal. This time around, we head to next door India in search of their #1 hard rock band, GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES! Take it from the Doctor, if you dig the likes of BADLANDS, SKID ROW, WHITESNAKE and TESLA, you simply have to hear these guys, who are dedicated to all the things that made heavy rock so great. One of their main weapons is amazing singer GIRISH PRADHAN, who has a world class voice and the look of a true rock star. I talk to GIRISH about the history of his band and what it's like to purvey classic American hardrock in India. Grab a hold of the tiger and check out the interview HERE!
Speaking of interviews, we should also have an upcoming chat with the band SADISTIC RITUAL from Atlanta, who have put out a cool new album that is redefining the thrash metal sound. This should be the first of several new features we will be telling you about in upcoming weeks.
The latest Torture Chamber features familiar names like NAZARETH and DESTRUCTION as well as some intriguing new bands...
DESTRUCTION "Diabolical"
MISFIRE "Sympathy For the Ignorant"
NAZARETH "Surviving the Law"
SLEEPLESS "Host Desecration"
FALLS OF RAUROS "Keys To A Vanishing Future"
PAKISTAN'S AZAAB SUMMONS THE CATACLYSM!
Let it never be said that Wormwood doesn't scour the world in search of metal excellence! This time, our travels take us all the way to Islamabad, Pakistan, where we find the war machine known as AZAAB in action. These demons of the desert deliver death metal of the highest caliber on their new album "Summoning the Cataclysm". I thought it would be high time to speak to guitarists SHAHAB KHAN and AFRAZ MAMOON about the metal scene in Pakistan. Their answers surprised me...and might surprise you, too! See what I'm talking about HERE!
We are diligently working on a whole slate of nefarious new material here at Wormwood and should be in a position to tell you more soon! Stay tuned!
This week's Torture Chamber features a dizzying collection of material ranging from utter brutality to greasy rock n roll to progressive mastery!
ENRAGEMENT "Atrocities"
THE HELLACOPTERS "Eyes of Oblivion"
CORPSESSED "Succumb To Rot"
ABBATH "Dread Reaver"
AMBIGRAM "Ambigram"
A CLOSE LOOK AT THE BLADES OF STEEL FESTIVAL!
Well, it took almost 3 years, but the BLADES OF STEEL Metalfest finally hit Milwaukee in April 2022! This was after being postponed no less than 3 times due to the Covid plague. The original lineup changed but the final roster included such venerable names as WHIPLASH, D.R.I., TOXIK, REALM and MORDRED! Along with a heavy duty slate of other heavy acts, both local and national. I was able to make 2 out of the 3 days of the Fest and now I give you humanoids a blow by blow description of those days. Lots of pics included. Get the lowdown on the Fest That Would Not Die right HERE!
We have some fairly controversial opinions to be found in this week's eclectic lineup of the Torture Chamber...
DEATHSPELL OMEGA "The Long Defeat"
MIRROR "The Day Bastard Leaders Die"
FAMYNE "II: The Ground Below"
NECROM "All Paths Are Left Here"
NATHR/ ORDO CULTUM SERPENTIS "Shadows Crawl" Split
ABHORRENT EXPANSE "Gateways To Resplendence"
DEEP IN THE WOODS, WE FIND TROGLODYTE!
Recently I went on a trek through the swampy lowlands of Missouri in search of the dread man-beast MOMO! Well, I didn't find him, but I ran into a whole tribe of shambling monsters collectively known as TROGLODYTE! And I was triple shocked to find out they played death metal. So my trip wasn't a waste after all. I grabbed a chat with the leader of the hominids, who went by the name JEFF SISSON and for a relict survivor of the Ice Age, he sure had a lot to say. We had a fun conversation about not only death metal and the band's history, but also the existence of Bigfoot and his cousins, what the best Bigfoot movies are and Jeff's extensive career in FX and video. You can join this cryptozoological conversation HERE!
Speaking of massive and dangerous things, here's this week's edition of the Torture Chamber!
LORDS OF THE TRIDENT "The Offering"
ANATOMIA/UNDERGANG "Split LP"
BOMBER "Nocturnal Creatures"
FER DE LANCE "The Hyperborean"
VIMUR "Transcendental Violence"
TOKYO BLADE "Fury"
SUPPRESSION "The Sorrow of Soul Through Flesh"
MEIN KOPF IST EIN BRUTALER ORT "Ton Steine Sterben"
VOLCANOVA "Cosmic Bullshit" EP
WE SAY GOODBYE TO THE GREAT SCOTT HALL!
It's unfortunately true that many pro wrestlers die at an unnaturally young age. The latest is SCOTT HALL aka RAZOR RAMON, a man whose fame transcended mere wrestling fandom. THE GREAT SUN JESTER takes a look at the life and career of "The Bad Guy", including his early AWA days, his tag team with CURT HENNIG, his eventual rise as Razor Ramon and his huge success as part of the NWO. Plenty of pics of this charismatic star are included, so set your beady eyes HERE and find out more about a fallen superstar.
You can add an interview with Chicago's rough and ready new metal band MISFIRE to the upcoming slate of interrogations we've got scheduled. That includes Pakistan's AZAAB, India's GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES, and the Bigfoot-crazed TROGLODYTE! Also coming is my live review of the BLADES OF STEEL festival and a look at the psychotronic film career of CAMERON MITCHELL!
And now for the Torture Chamber, which has got some pretty wild and obscure entries this time around!
MORGUE SUPPLIER "Inevitability"
MORS PRINCIPIUM EST "Liberate the Unborn Inhumanity"
YAWN "Materialism"
SACRILEGA "The Arcana Spear"
KALEIDOBOLT "This One Simple Trick"
SATAN RETURNS TO WORMWOOD!
This week, it is indeed an honor to welcome SATAN back to Wormwood Laboratories. Not the singular guy with fangs and horns, but rather the legendary British metal heroes who have been releasing album after album of classic material. The latest is entitled "Earth Infernal" and it looks at the timely topic of global warming. I talk to longtime guitarist RUSS TIPPINS about SATAN's critical interest in this subject, as well as their approach to writing and performing. Russ is a guy with plenty on his mind and you can find out exactly what by reading HERE!
PLENTY of news to report! You all know my interest in cryptids. Well, when I headed into the woods of Missouri in search of Bigfoot recently, I ran into TROGLODYTE instead. This Sasquatch-obsessed death metal band even looks like Bigfoot! I got an interview with Mr. JEFF SISSON, who is also a makeup and FX artist as well as a video director! I can guarantee a very interesting chat with that one! I also can report I grabbed an interview with perhaps the most exciting hard rock and traditional metal band out of India, GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES! I talk to GIRISH himself about the Indian heavy music scene. That's also upcoming at Wormwood, along with my report on the BLADES OF STEEL festival and GREAT SUN JESTER's tribute to the late great SCOTT HALL! Lots more in the mix...I will keep you updated!
It's also high time for an extra sized edition of the Torture Chamber, which I present to you now...
ELIMINATOR "Ancient Light"
SATAN "Earth Infernal"
FM "Thirteen"
NEQUIENT "Darker Than Death or Night"
BASTARD "Rotten Blood"
CULTIC "Of Fire And Sorcery"
SEPULCHRAL "From Beyond the Burial Mound"
ARMORY "Mercurion"
SICKBAY "Brutal Existence" EP
JESUS WEPT "Psychedelic Degeneracy" EP
EXPLORE THE LEGACY OF ST. LOUIS WRESTLING!
When you mention sports and the city of St. Louis, chances are most people will think of the Cardinals, the Rams and the Blues. But here at Wormwood, our thoughts turn first to the Gateway City's long time legacy of great pro wrestling. For years, the St. Louis TV show "Wrestling At The Chase" featured the best matches from superstars like HARLEY RACE, BRUISER BRODY, PAT O'CONNOR, RIC FLAIR & DICK THE BRUISER! That legacy lives on in the modern day promotion SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING. This week, I take a look at the history of St. Louis Wrestling and the current success of S.I.C.W. Lace up your boots and check it out HERE!
Later this week, I will be heading up to Milwaukee, WI to check out the metal fest that wouldn't die, BLADES OF STEEL! Due to Covid, this fest has been postponed 3 times, but will finally be going down. Names like WHIPLASH, D.R.I., REALM and NUNSLAUGHTER are just some of the names that will be there. Expect a write up with plenty of photos down the pike! And you can also expect GREAT SUN JESTER to do a tribute to the late great SCOTT HALL shortly. Should have some news on more upcoming articles before too long...
This week's Torture Chamber features more hammers than Home Depot!
HAMMERFALL "Hammer of Dawn"
DEATHHAMMER "Electric Warfare"
IZTHMI "Leaving This World, Leaving It All Behind"
SANHEDRIN "Lights On"
FATHER BEFOULED "Crowned In Veneficum"
ABSYMAL DAWN "Nightmare Frontier" EP
A RESTLESS SPIRIT INVADES WORMWOOD!
LORD RANDALL does the honors this time around and heads to the Big Apple to interrogate moody doomsters RESTLESS SPIRIT, who have materialized in the mortal plane with a strong new album called "Blood of the Old Gods". He speaks to "Father Damn" himself, PAUL HAYDEN, about all manner of subjects including, if you can believe it, IMMANUEL KANT! Yes, they also talk about the process of writing and recording the album and some of Paul's own struggles over the years. Grab your Ouija board and read further HERE!
The Good Doctor can tell you that he ventured all the way to PAKISTAN to interview rising death metallers AZAAB! This is one of the farthest flung chats we've ever done, so keep an eye out for that, coming soon. THE GREAT SUN JESTER has informed me that his next Wayback review will be for SAINT VITUS' seminal "Born Too Late" album. Not only that, but he's planning on a tribute to the late, great "Bad Guy", SCOTT HALL! So things are starting to percolate around here...
Our Torture Chamber this time around features the latest from CROWBAR, BLOOD INCANTATION and more!
CROWBAR "Zero And Below"
BUNUEL "Killers Like Us"
DESERTED FEAR "Doomsday"
BLOOD INCANTATION "Timewave Zero"
TROGLODYTE "The Hierarchical Ecological Succession..."
ULTRA SILVAM "The Sanctity of Death"
WHAT'S SHAKIN' AT WORMWOOD!
A rather light week here at Wormwood Laboratories. Even hardcore deviants like us have to take a breather now and then. But fear not, we have a full slate of Torture Chamber reviews for you below.
Also some news to report! LORD RANDALL tells me me that he's gotten an interview with Noo Yawk doom troop RESTLESS SPIRIT! If you're not familiar with these guys now, you soon will be! Also, SATAN is on his way back to Wormwood. Or rather, the great English metal institution SATAN, who have just released a blistering new album called "Earth Infernal". I speak to longtime guitarist RUSS TIPPINS! Some other interviews are in the planning stages...more coming soon. Also, for all you fans of grunt n' groan, I'm working on a new wrestling article that looks at SOUTHERN ILLINOIS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING and the great legacy of pro wrestling in St. Louis. So all that and more is coming at Wormwood.
And now, here's the Torture Chamber stuff I promised you earlier...
EIGHT BELLS "Legacy of Ruin"
SAXON "Carpe Diem"
ORDER OF NOSFERAT "Nachtmusick"
CHTHONIC CULT "Become Seekers of Death"
LOST TRIBES OF THE MOON "Chapter II: Tales of Strife, Destiny & Despair"
MAENTRA "Kundalini Rising"
APES "Lullabies for Eternal Sleep"
VOIDCEREMONY "At The Periphery of Human Realms"
POWER GAME "Slaying Gods"
RABID DOGS "Black Cowslip"
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE?
Rarely has Wormwood interviewed anybody as intense as RIZ STORY, the guiding force for the hard to define rock band ANYONE. DARK STARR managed to speak to Mr. Story and the result is sometimes hard to read. As someone deeply interested in the health of oceans and the environment, he pulls no punches with a very dire assessment of the current situation. He's also very blunt talking about the pitfalls of the music business and his own negative experiences with it. The interview is as gripping as the man's music itself and you can dive into it right HERE!
DEEP PURPLE, IMMOLATION and a killer band from India are all residents of this week's Torture Chamber!
BURNING THE OPPRESSOR "Damnation"
UNLEASHED "No Sign of Life"
DEEP PURPLE "Turning To Crime"
IMMOLATION "Acts of God"
OUT OF THIS WORLD "Out of This World"
GIRISH & THE CHRONICLES "Hail To The Heroes"
DIVE INTO THE WILD WORLD OF HEAVY META!
We don't shy away from the odd and uncommercial here at Wormwood...in fact, we embrace it...but there's no doubt that Massachusetts band HEAVY META is one of the most unorthodox we've ever encountered. On latest album "Mana Regmata", they dive into a relentless world of heavy, funky, jazzy and mathematically improbable musical alchemy. Naturally, Dr. Mality had to find out more. The result is a fun and informative chat with bass wizard KISHOR HAULENBEEK, who guides through the mutant corridors of HEAVY META's brand of insanity. You'd best put on your gas mask , grab your sledgehammer and freefall into the interview HERE!
And that's not all! It's time once again to venture into JESTER'S WAYBACK REVIEWS, as the loquacious GREAT SUN JESTER takes a detailed look at another classic album of yore. This time, he examines CIRITH UNGOL's masterpiece of sword and sorcery metal, "Frost And Fire". Find out more HERE!
The fun doesn't stop there because we've got an extra big blast of Torture Chamber reviews, including the latest SCORPIONS, the aforementioned "Mana Regmata" by HEAVY META and the new MIDNIGHT, along with other sundry delights...
SCORPIONS "Rock Believer"
HEAVY META "Mana Regmata"
EMBRYONIC AUTOPSY "Prophecies of the Conjoined"
NOCTURNAL GRAVES "An Outlaw's Stand"
MIDNIGHT "Let There Be Witchery"
MESSA "Close"
PESTILENGTH "Basom Gryphos"
DANCE WITH THE DEAD "Driven to Madness"
CATACOMB "Back To Unknown Kadath"
GET THE LOWDOWN ON THE DECIBEL TOUR!
It ain't often when a brain-smashing extreme metal show of top notch caliber plays within a decent radius of Wormwood Laboratories but that's just what happened when the DECIBEL TOUR pulled into the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL. And on Valentine's Day, no less. Instead of kisses and candy, we got a worm-eaten slab of OBITUARY, with a sizable helping of MUNICIPAL WASTE on the side and tasty appetizers like GATECREEPER, ENFORCED and SPIRIT WORLD. How exactly did this St. Valentine's Day Massacre go down? Find out HERE! With tons of pics as well!
Some unusual entries in the Torture Chamber this time around, including a robot metal band, the return of VIO-LENCE and some way out space rock...
WOLFTOOTH "Blood And Iron"
ELECTROMANCY "Technopagan"
VIO-LENCE "Let The World Burn"
3rd EAR EXPERIENCE "Danny Fraenkel's 3rd Ear Experience"
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY "Oh, What The Future Holds"
WORMWOOD CHATS WITH TONY MARTIN!
This week, it's a real privilege for us to sit down with one of the great voices in heavy metal, Mr. TONY MARTIN. Best known for his lengthy stint with BLACK SABBATH, Tony actually has hundreds of musical credits to his career and has just released a tremendous new solo album, "Thorns". Our boy COLONEL ANGUS was lucky enough to pick Tony's brains, finding out how his approach to singing has changed dramatically over the years, the unique way that he handled writing the new album and a look back at his prior work. You can find the results of the chat HERE!
For the first time in a while, we've got an expanded edition of the Wormwood Torture Chamber...
DARK MEDITATION "Polluted Temples"
HELLFROST AND FIRE "Frost, Fire and Hell"
DESOLATE SHRINE "Fires of the Dying World"
CAESTUS "The Undoer's Key"
ASHES OF ARES "Emperors and Fools"
THEANDRIC "Flight From The Tombs"
NULLIFICATION "Kingdoms To Hovel"
KROLOK "Funeral Winds And Crimson Sky"
KARMANJAKA "Gates of Muspel"
IT'S TIME FOR THE BEST OF 2021 LISTS!
Yes, humanoids, it's that time once again! The annual ritual known as the Wormwood Writers' Best of 2021 lists. We've been doing this for a long time and it's one of the most anticipated, if not THE most anticipated, articles of the year. You get a glimpse into the tortured brains of each of the Wormcrew. And what a varied collection of picks it is! As a teaser, here's the #1 choices of each writer...
GREAT SUN JESTER APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE "Until the Darkness Goes"
DARK STARR GRETA VAN FLEET "The Battle At Garden's Gate"
DR. ABNER MALITY 1914 "Where Fear and Weapons Meet"
THRASH-HEAD MORDKAUL "Dress Code: Blood"
COLONEL ANGUS EVERGREY "Escape of the Phoenix"
THERON MOORE HELLOWEEN "Helloween"
LORD RANDALL WOMBBATH "Agma"
THOR WEREWOLVES "What A Time To Be Alive"
OCTOPI MILLS RUNDGARD "Stronghold of Majestic Ruins"
Want to find out what the other picks are? Click HERE and find out!
And no, we didn't neglect our usual Torture Chamber reviews. Here they are
ERIC WAGNER "In The Lonely Light of Mourning"
RUNNING WILD "Blood On Blood"
OLD SPIRIT "Old Spirit"
DEATHCULT "Of Soil Unearthed"
BELLING THE TIGER "Lost"
INERTH "Void"
WORMWOOD OPENS UP THE GRAVE NEXT DOOR!
This week, the esteemed LORD RANDALL ventures to Western Michigan to dig up dirt on GRAVE NEXT DOOR! This fast-rising doom metal band is not just raising the dead, but also a lot of eyebrows with their grim and gritty take on slow motion mayhem. Randall speaks to the entire band about the uniqueness of the environment they grew up in, what it's like to have brothers in a band and the lyrical inspiration for their sometimes disturbing songs. There's a cool vibe to this chat with the entire band which you can sample HERE!
More news to report. Last week we revealed that a new interview with former BLACK SABBATH vocalist TONY MARTIN is on the way. Now we can confirm that the one and only DARK STARR have had a conversation with RIZ STORY from the hard to pin down rock project ANYONE. Having read this one, I can confirm this will be one of the most provocative talks we've ever posted at Wormwood. I should have some more new on future articles soon!
Time for the most recent Torture Chamber reviews!
KROSIS "E.V.I.L."
DRUID LORD "Relics of the Dead"
MYSTIC CIRCLE "Mystic Circle"
MALIGNANT ALTAR "Realms of Exquisite Morbidity"
CRYSTAL BALL "Crysteria"
VERIKALPA "Tunturihauta"
TAKE A BLOODY BITE OUT OF VHS!
Keep a cross and plenty of garlic near this week as Wormwood dives into the gory world of VHS! This band of Canadian metal freaks are obsessed with horror and on their new album "I Heard They Suck...Blood", they enter the twilight world of the vampire! The album looks at vampire films ranging from the classical to the contemporary and delivers VHS' patented brand of punk-infused death metal at the same time. Of course, the gang here at WC love monsters and metal, so it was a perfect time to talk to MIKE HOCHINS of the band and get their take on the world of bloodsucking ghouls! Get ready to face the living dead HERE!
LOTS of news to cover this week! I am super happy to report that COLONEL ANGUS has secured an interview with none other than former BLACK SABBATH vocalist and one of the outstanding voices in metal, Mr. TONY MARTIN! I can guarantee this will be a great look inside the mind of TONY, who just released an outstanding new album, "Thorns"! Also, all the lists are in, so look soon for Wormwood's infamous Best of...lists, where each of our demented crew list their favorite albums of 2021!
Speaking of the Wormcrew, I want to take some time to shed light on a project from our very own THERON MOORE. Theron's the busiest of all of us and in addition to all his other writings, he's just released a new book called "The Roswellnomicon", subtitled "The Strange Untold Oral History of Roswell, New Mexico and Surrounding Areas". It's an odd work where the lines between fact, fiction and legend about Roswell are blurred, if not completely obliterated. You can check the book out HERE and support one of Wormwood's own!
This week's edition of the Torture Chamber has a ton of range across the rock n roll spectrum!
CYNIC "Ascension Codes"
POWER PALADIN "With the Magic of Windfyre Steel"
FIELDS OF MILDEW "The Complete Woes"
CADAVERIC FUMES "Echoing Chambers of Soul"
REDSTACKS "Revival of the Fittest"
CIVEROUS "Decrepit Flesh Relic"
BUY A TICKET TO THE THEATRE OF BLOOD!
Critics! Who can stand the opinionated egomaniacs? Not me...and I'm one of them! The 1973 cult horror "Theatre of Blood" took revenge against critics to gory new heights as the one and only VINCENT PRICE portrayed a maddened Shakespearean actor who gets even with his tormentors in the most gruesome ways possible. Over the years, this deliciously absurd film has acquired quite a reputation, so it's time for Wormwood to give it the Philm Phreaks treatment. You can read about the killer crusade of EDWARD LIONHEART right HERE!
Coming soon to Wormwood will be my chat with the avant-garde and over the top new band HEAVY META, a group that throws everything...including the proverbial kitchen sink...into their unique band of metal insanity! Plus, look for some new live concert reviews coming soon! Hope to make some more announcements in the weeks ahead!
TONY MARTIN and ARCHSPIRE are just a couple of the visitors to this week's edition of the Torture Chamber!
TONY MARTIN "Thorns"
MAULE "Maule"
ARCHSPIRE "Bleed the Future"
DIABLERY "Candles"
DEPLETED URANIUM "Origins"
SOLAR CROSS "Echoes of the Eternal Word"
WORMWOOD DISCOVERS THE WORLD OF ETERNITY'S END!
This week Wormwood charts a course to a land where robots and wizards collide...the universe of Germany's power metal maniacs ETERNITY'S END! This is one of the bands leading the charge to a more gutsy and technically savvy brand of power metal. And who better to head up that crusade than shredding guitar maestro CHRISTIAN MUENZNER, who also plies his trade in tech-death titans OBSCURA. Christian has a very outspoken and well defined vision of the power metal genre and he articulates it in the interview which you can find HERE!
As far as future content goes, many plans are being laid! LORD RANDALL plans an interview with stoner/doom neophytes GRAVE NEXT DOOR and we should have another one of JESTER's Wayback Reviews shortly. Working on some really cool interviews and we will also have the traditional Best of 2021 lists from all the writers soon!
Something you can always count on are the Wormwood Torture Chamber reviews. Here's this week's batch...
PHRENELITH "Chimaera"
BASTARDUR "Satan's Loss of Son"
SCREAM 3 DAYS "Rhesus Negative"
OFERMOD "Mysterium Iniquitatis"
CONFUSION MASTER "Haunted"
ABSCESSION "Rot of Ages"
THE FIRST EDITION OF "JESTER'S WAYBACK REVIEWS" LOOKS AT MOTORHEAD'S "BOMBER"
Wormwood is proud to present the first in a regular series that takes a close and critical look at important albums of the past. Your host is THE GREAT SUN JESTER and the column is JESTER'S WAYBACK REVIEWS. For the all-important debut edition, he's picked MOTORHEAD'S "Bomber" to go under the microscope. This was the band's third album and the follow-up to the defining "Overkill" effort. Jester looks at it track by track and also looks at a live show from 1979, when the band were at their rawest. Dip into a piece of rock n roll history HERE!
Of course, we still have our regular Torture Chamber reviews for you Worm-heads! And it's heavier than ever!
ETERNAL EVIL "The Warrior's Awakening Brings the Unholy Slaughter"
HYPOCRISY "Worship"
LOCK UP "The Dregs of Hades"
VHS "I Heard They Suck...Blood"
U.D.O. "Game Over"
OSSUAIRE "Triumvirat"
SAY HELLO TO DAMAGE INC. WRESTLING!
SAY HELLO TO DAMAGE INC. WRESTLING!
It's time to head back to the world of the squared circle and this time, we don't have very far to go. DAMAGE INC. WRESTLING is a brand new professional wrestling promotion that's based in Dr. Mality's hometown of Rockford, IL. So you can imagine I was all over this like ugly on ape. The promotion features a combination of established talent like RHYNO, COWBOY JAMES STORM and MASADA with Midwest area veterans like ERIC PRIEST and SCOTT SPADE. We've got a blow by blow look at the Dec. 11th show held at the Teamsters Hall in south Rockford and also an interview with promoter STEVE EISMAN. You can check it all out HERE but watch out for flying chairs!!!
We're starting 2022 with an extra sized dose of the Torture Chamber...here she is!
MONOLORD "Your Time To Shine"
ETERNITY'S END "Embers of War"
GODLESS "States of Chaos"
RHINE "Auslander"
DOS COBROS "Misadventures in Dystopia"
HUSQWARNAH "Front Towards Enemy"
MYSTRAS "Empires Vanquished and Dismantled"
DISASTER "Secrets of the Past"
KILLRAZER "The Burial Begins"
WORMWOOD ENDS 2021 WITH NEW TORTURE CHAMBER REVIEWS!
WORMWOOD ENDS 2021 WITH NEW TORTURE CHAMBER REVIEWS!
We've reached the end of a year of momentous change here at Wormwood. A year that saw us get a whole new look and a new commitment to outrage the masses with more underground content. This final week, we're relaxing a bit before hitting the ground hard in 2022. You'll see the latest edition of the celebrated Torture Chamber below. As for future plans, I just nabbed an interview with death metal horror freaks VHS, who will be sharing their love of lurid vampire flicks with us soon. That's in addition to the already completed ETERNITY'S END interview and my close look at new pro wrestling promotion DAMAGE INC. WRESTLING based in Rockford, IL. I also want a strong return for our Wormwood Files section, which has been empty for too long!
Enough of this gay banter! Now onto the Torture Chamber!
HITTEN "Triumph and Tragedy"
ROKKR "Rokkr"
NEGURA BUNGET "Zau"
GOAT TORMENT "Forked Tongues"
HAWKWIND "Somnia"
DEATH SS "Ten"
WORMWOOD RIDES INTO AN UNTAMED LAND!
Well, pardnuhs, are ya ready to hit the trail into the wide open spaces of the West? That's what Doc Mality does this week, stopping in Ohio on the way to Tombstone to talk with PATRICK KERN from the one of a kind musical project known as UNTAMED LAND. Imagine if the soundtrack of a spaghetti Western was merged with an attack of raw, epic black metal. That describes some of what UNTAMED LAND is about, but not all! Mr. Kern has a very strong vision of what he wants to accomplish with this band and he articulates it quite eloquently in our little chat, which you can sample right HERE!
Although Halloween is my preferred holiday by far, I still have a soft spot for Christmas and I wish all you Worm-maniacs out there a happy holiday season! One hopefully clear of murder and mayhem...
And here's the gift that keeps on giving...the infamous Wormwood Torture Chamber!
GAAHL'S WYRD "The Humming Mountain"
FORTRESS "Don't Spare The Wicked"
GREEN DESERT WATER "Black Harvest"
INFRARED "From The Black Swamp"
MOL "Diorama"
HYPERDONTIA "Hideous Entity"
INTO THE TRENCHES WITH 1914!
World War I was supposed to be the War to End All Wars, but it ended up being the gateway to a new age of technologically advanced warfare. Here to tell us all about it are Ukraine's metal soldiers, 1914! This is a band totally devoted to telling the stories of World War I from all sides and every possible angle. Their new album "Where Fear and Weapons Meet" is not only a classic of extreme metal mastery, but a deep look at the madness of the war. I met up with Oberleutnant DITMAR KUMARBERG to learn more about the band approaches telling the story of WWI in a metal context. It's a fascinating chat that you can sample HERE!
If you can make it out of the trenches, sample this extra large helping of Torture Chamber reviews, featuring the most eclectic lineup ever!
EXODUS "Persona Non Grata"
GENOCIDE PACT "Genocide Pact"
ENUFF Z'NUFF "Enuff Z'nuff's Hardrock Nite"
LAJA AIJALA & ALBERT WITCHFINDER "Centuries of Youth"
WORM "Foreverglade"
CHROME "Scaropy"
ALTARETH "Blood"
DUNGEON STEEL "Bloodlust"
CHARNEL ALTAR "Abatement of the Sun"
BOW DOWN BEFORE BLOOD RED THRONE!
BOW DOWN BEFORE BLOOD RED THRONE!
Few death metal bands have had the longevity and impact of Norway's BLOOD RED THRONE. That's why it's an honor for us at Wormwood to interview the venerable band. I recently hooked up with guitarist DANIEL OLAISEN, the one man who's been with BRT since the very beginning and got his thoughts on the current death metal scene as well as the brand new album "Imperial Congregation" which is the band's first for mega-label Nuclear Blast. Daniel has a straightforward, no BS way of getting to the point which you can sample right HERE!
Lots of news to report! Look for a new kind of album review courtesy of THE GREAT SUN JESTER, who will do an in-depth dissection of a classic album in a new section called JESTER'S WAYBACK REVIEWS. I'm told the first choice will be none other than MOTORHEAD's "Bomber"! Coming soon to Wormwood! Also coming soon will be an interview with wunderkind guitarist CHRISTIAN MUENZNER in connection with his power metal band ETERNITY'S END! I'm also going to be examining the classic Vincent Price horror "Theater of Blood". Upcoming interviews include 1914 and UNTAMED LAND! To say nothing of the legendary Wormwood "Best of 2021" lists...
And now for the moment you've been waiting for...the latest Torture Chamber reviews...
WOMBBATH "Agma"
1914 "Where Fear and Weapons Meet"
VICTORY "Gods of Tomorrow"
SNARE OF SIXES "MoonBladder"
WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS "As Hope Valley Burns: Eulogy"
OUTRE TOMBE "Abysse Mortifere"
CONCERT REVIEWS ARE BACK, WITH EXHUMED!
CONCERT REVIEWS ARE BACK, WITH EXHUMED!
One of the biggest Wormwood casualties during the Curse of Covid has been our Concert Review section, which has lain fallow for more than two years as the world has shut down. No more! The drought has been lifted, as Good Doctor Mality recently paid a house call to the Crucible Club in Madison, Wisconsin to see a brutal lineup of death and thrash metal bands hit the stage. Headliners were the notorious gore-mongers EXHUMED, with a back up of great up and comers including CREEPING DEATH, BEWITCHER and ENFORCED! A mayhemic time was had by all and you can get all the gory details right HERE!
Our old buddy SOLOMON G has returned to the Wormwood fold! He does a review of doom-meisters KHEMMIS in the latest edition of the Torture Chamber!
KHEMMIS "Deceiver"
AUTOKRATOR "Persecution"
OBSCURA "A Valediction"
TOWER "Shock to the System"
RUNDGARD "Stronghold of Majestic Ruins"
CENTENARY "Death: The Final Frontier"
A CHAT WITH GUITAR WHIZ CLARK COLBORN!
A CHAT WITH GUITAR WHIZ CLARK COLBORN!
This week, Wormwood reconnects with an unsung hero of the guitar world, Mr. CLARK COLBORN! Clark got his start with Rockford hard rockers CHEATER back in the 70's and from there has grown to be a wildly creative solo artist helping to push electric guitar music to its limit. This time around, DARK STARR hooks up with Clark and discusses the multiple trials and tribulations he endured putting together his latest album "Obscurotica". He's got tons to say on a variety of subjects, including favorite gear, his songwriting process and life in general. You can dive in HERE and find out more about this versatile virtuoso.
We've got a supersized edition of the Torture Chamber for you this time, with a super eclectic selection of reviews to experience...
ALCATRAZZ "V"
BLOOD RED THRONE "Imperial Congregation"
PARADOX "Heresy II: End of A Legend"
MORTAL VISION "Mind Manipulation"
UNTAMED LAND "Like Creatures Seeking Their Own Forms"
BLOOD SPORT "Hot Blood and Cold Steel"
GALAXY "On the Shores of Life"
CREATURE "Eloge de l'Ombre"
DUCKWALK CHUCK "Fired Up"
HIT THE HAIRY HIGHWAY WITH "WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS"!
HIT THE HAIRY HIGHWAY WITH "WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS"!
There's a full moon in the sky as we cruise the highway tonight, Worm-fiends! And coming straight at us is a whole gang of "WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS"!
Time to head into the world of weird film again as I take a close look at 1971's oddball biker monster movie "Werewolves on Wheels". What happens when a club called the Devil's Advocates run afoul of Satan himself? If you don't know, you're gonna find out! This is a surreal grindhouse epic that has grown in reputation...both good and bad...over the decades and we put it under the microscope right HERE!
Some news to report! I kept in the West to do an interview with PATRICK KERN of the atmospheric black metal band UNTAMED LAND, who combine the mayhem of black metal with the cinematic sounds of the American West! A very unique approach to the music! Also, my hometown has a new pro wrestling promotion called Damage Inc. I plan to cover their next card, talk to promoter STEVE EISMAN and maybe even grab a chat with one of the star grapplers. More to follow!
And now, of course, we enter the darkened confines of the Wormwood Torture Chamber...
CONTRITION "Broken Mortal Coil"
KK'S PRIEST "Sermons of the Sinner"
ATRAE BILIS "Apexapien"
IRON LIZARDS "Hungry for Action"
INFIRMUM "Walls of Sorrow"
PESTILENTIAL SHADOWS "Revenant"
WE BID FAREWELL TO ERIC WAGNER...
WE BID FAREWELL TO ERIC WAGNER...
It's a sad fact that even icons must pass from this world eventually. But if we are here to remember them, that eases the passing. This week, THE GREAT SUN JESTER pays tribute to a fallen musical hero, ERIC WAGNER. If you know anything about doom metal, stoner rock or just plain emotional rock music, you know that name. And that distinctive wailing voice from the legendary TROUBLE as well as other projects like THE SKULL and BLACKFINGER. That voice has passed from our world now, but the Jester remembers it in a heartfelt tribute that you can read HERE...
Not only do we have a bigger than usual Torture Chamber this week, but IRON MAIDEN pops in for a visit...
IRON MAIDEN "Senjutsu"
MANIMAL "Armageddon"
MASSACRE "Resurgence"
TRAPPIST/CONNOISSEUR "Cross Faded" Split
WOODEN THRONE "Under the Moon, They Wander..."
PAYDRETZ "Chroniques de l'Insurrection"
HELGRIND "Insurrection"
EMPLOYED TO SERVE "Conquering"
ANOMALY DETECTED AT WORMWOOD!
ANOMALY DETECTED AT WORMWOOD!
Last time around, we ventured into the deep space of the future to confer with ZETAR. This week, we remain in the void to speak to another great sci-fi influenced death metal band, ANOMALY. Well, in this case, the void is actually Milwaukee, Wisconsin. THERON MOORE does the honors and chats with NEIL TIDQUIST about the band's journey through many styles of metal until arriving at the cosmic mayhem of their new album, "Planet Storm". You can intercept ANOMALY at this location!
Hey, humanoids! The ROCK RIVER TIMES recently spoke with Dr. Mality about the early days of Wormwood and the recent refurbishment of the WC website! It's a very in-depth interview which you can check out at the following address: https://issuu.com/rockrivertimes7/docs/rrt10202021_combined/6
Got some interesting inmates at the Torture Chamber this week, as well as some unfiltered opinions...
AEON "God Ends Here"
MINISTRY "Moral Hygiene"
APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE "Until the Darkness Goes"
CRIMINAL "Sacrificio"
PSYCHO "Vulture Church"
MYSTERIZER "The Holy Wars: 1095"
BEWARE THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR!
BEWARE THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR!
This time around, Dr. Mality travels further than he ever has before in search of an interview...into the far depths of interstellar space where dwells the astro-acoustic phenomena known as ZETAR! No, your eyes don't deceive you...this is a band that gets its name from a classic "Star Trek" episode, "The Lights of Zetar"! These cosmic death metal marauders are 100% inspired by Star Trek as far as lyrics go, which makes them a perfect target for an interview. I speak to band mastermind R.G. about his love of both Star Trek and death metal as well as the new ZETAR album "Devouring Darkness". Prepare to go where no Worm-fiend has gone before HERE!
Some news to report! THE GREAT SUN JESTER has completed a very personal project, a tribute to the recently deceased ERIC WAGNER, lead singer of TROUBLE, THE SKULL & BLACKFINGER and a seminal figure in the world of doom metal and stoner rock. I also dived into the trenches for an interview with unique Ukrainian band 1914, who are devoted to writing about the horrific conflict known as World War 1. Plus, we have talks with CLARK COLBORN, ANOMALY, & BLOOD RED THRONE coming up, as well as my Philm Phreaks article on "Werewolves On Wheels"!
If you want an extra-sized dose of The Torture Chamber, you got it! Right here...
GREEN LUNG "Black Harvest"
ZETAR "Devouring Darkness"
WITNESSES "The Collapse"
MONUMENT OF MISANTHROPY "Unterweger"
THE MIGHTY ONE "The Torch of Rock N' Roll"
OUR PLACE OF WORSHIP IS SILENCE "Disavowed and Left Hopeless"
ALTARS OF THE MOON "Brahmastra"
HATEMONGER "The Vile Maxim"
PHANTOM FIRE "Bust of Beelzebub"
WORMWOOD GETS A DOSE OF SKEPTICISM!
WORMWOOD GETS A DOSE OF SKEPTICISM!
The redoubtable OCTOPI MILLS took a trip to the dark and somber forests of Finland to meet with one of that country's most revered exports, the funeral doom metal pioneers SKEPTICISM! More specifically, he spoke with keyboardist EERO POYRY about the band's meticulous method of putting an album together, including their latest gloomy epic "Companion". He also asks about the influence of their home country on their music and also the influence of the supernatural. This band has been around for almost 30 years and helped create a unique style of music, so join Eero and Octopi HERE for their discussion.
And as always, we have an assortment of metal reviews for your kind attention in the esteemed Torture Chamber...
HATE "Rugia"
PRAY U PREY "The Omega Kill"
ANOMALY "Planet Storm"
TENTATION "Les Berceaux Des Dieux"
GUS G. "Quantum Leap"
NECRONAUTICAL "Slain In The Spirit"
MAKE CONTACT WITH WITHERING SOUL!
MAKE CONTACT WITH WITHERING SOUL!
Chicago can always be counted on to produce quality metal bands and here Wormwood introduces you to another one: WITHERING SOUL! These dudes have been plying their brand of melodic death/black metal for quite some time now, but they have reached their apex with newest offering "Last Contact". Well, I made "first contact" with guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist/founder CHRISTOPHER to get the back story on the band and their new album. He mentioned up and coming new bands to keep an eye on, how the band has evolved over the years and the meaning underlying "Last Contact". You can sample the rest of the tantalizing chat HERE!
Some news to report! I've secured an interview with long-running Norwegian death masters BLOOD RED THRONE, who have just made their debut on the mighty Nuclear Blast label! This is the second time we've spoken to them, but it's been over 10 years since our last chat. Also, DARK STARR has grabbed our second interview with guitar wizard CLARK COLBORN, whose roots go back a long way in our local Rockford area. Clark always has a lot to say, so this one will be pretty cool
We've got a massive oversize edition of the Torture Chamber to torment you with this time around...
THYRFING "Vanagandr"
WITHERING SOUL "Last Contact"
BRAINSTORM "Wall of Skulls"
SCEPTOR "Rise To the Light"
CYRAX "Experiences"
OSSUARY "Addicted to Human Flesh"
MORBID MESSIAH "Disgorged In the Coffin"
SIDEREAN "Lost on Void's Horizon"
SUN OF THE SUNS "TIIT"
WE BLOW UP WORMWOOD WITH AEW DYNAMITE!
WE BLOW UP WORMWOOD WITH AEW DYNAMITE!
Well, sports fans, it's been many a year since we've had a major pro wrestling article at Wormwood, but the drought is over! Maybe it lasted so long because there wasn't that much to talk about. But that has changed with the arrival of ALL ELITE WRESTLING. This new major promotion has taken the grunt n' groan world by storm with a combination of classic veterans, young phenoms and a more violent and athletic brand of competition. Recently I got to see first hand just what they were about when they visited suburban Chicago to tape their national televised program AEW DYNAMITE. It was a major production with names like C.M. PUNK, STING, KENNY OMEGA and CHRISTIAN CAGE on the card. I give a blow by blow description of the show HERE...lace up your boots and get your ass in the ring!
You will find some fairly spicy opinions in this week's Torture Chamber lineup. Read on and find out more...
RIVERS OF NIHIL "The Work"
CARCASS "Torn Arteries"
BLACK MASS "Feast At The Forbidden Tree"
BIZARRE "Invocation Codex"
WORMWITCH "Wolf Hex"
MOON ORACLE "Muse of the Nightside"
GO SLOW WITH THE SLOMATICS!
GO SLOW WITH THE SLOMATICS!
The enchanting Emerald Isle of Ireland is known for its love of music. But not particularly for a lot of brain-crushing psychedelic doom metal. Enter THE SLOMATICS! This trio is devoted all things low, slow and grooving. The esteemed LORD RANDALL recently hopped a rainbow to Ireland and spoke to SLOMATICS main man DAVID MAJURY. This gentleman had a lot to say about his love of sci fi author PHILIP K. DICK, his love of the immersive total album experience in an age of 5 second digital attention spans and the slow but welcome return of live music festivals. Sample more of his wisdom at THIS LINK...
This week we've got an extra big Torture Chamber session for you, if you can take it...
MADROST "Charring the Rotting Earth"
TOXIC RUIN "Nightmare Eclipse"
KRYPTOS "Force of Danger"
THE SLOW DEATH "Siege"
LOW FLYING HAWKS "Fuyu"
HELLCRASH "Krvcifix Invertor"
LOWER 13 "Embrace The Unknown"
SCARECROW (FI) "Splatterpunk"
VESSEL "Behind the Walls" EP
WITHERED GET LOST AT WORMWOOD...
WITHERED GET LOST AT WORMWOOD...
This week, I take a trip to the outskirts of Atlanta,, Georgia to meet up with one of the most distinctive voices in American extreme metal...WITHERED. I had the pleasure of speaking to guiding light MIKE THOMPSON years ago, which you can find in the Archives, but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. The band's latest album "Verloren" (German for "lost") is perhaps their darkest yet most introspective effort yet. Mr. Thompson is a very eloquent speaker for his band and the interview is well worth your time. Sample it HERE...
Some upcoming items...THERON MOORE has secured a chat with Milwaukee sci-fi death metal band ANOMALY, which would make a great companion to my forthcoming talk with the similarly cosmic ZETAR! THE GREAT SUN JESTER tells me he is working on a tribute to the late great lead singer of TROUBLE, ERIC WAGNER, who sadly passed earlier in the year. My live report on a TV taping of the super-hot AEW Dynamite is just about done...this will be our first wrestling-themed article in quite a while. More is in the works...news as things become more certain.
We've got some pretty dark visitors to the Wormwood Torture Chamber this week...
HOUR OF 13 "Black Magick Rites"
GNOSIS "Omens From The Dead Realm"
CROWNE "Kings In the North"
NUNSLAUGHTER "Red Is The Color of Ripping Death"
PORTRAIT "At One With None"
REBEL PRIEST "Lost In Tokyo" EP
GRAVEYARD SHIFTERS "Head Turns First, Eyes Follow" EP
HUMAN...OR HUMANOID? FIND OUT WITH WORMWOOD...
HUMAN...OR HUMANOID? FIND OUT WITH WORMWOOD...
This week, Wormwood journeys to a post-atomic dystopia to examine one of the strangest movies ever made...1962's "Creation of the Humanoids"! This odd low budget film takes place after a devastating atomic war when mankind is on the verge of extinction. Despite that, he's created a race of humanoid robots to perform labor for him. The question is, are the robots really serving mankind...or are they out to replace it? It's the first Philm Phreaks article for the new age of Wormwood...check it out HERE!
The devious brain of Dr. Mality is already looking ahead to the next freaky film article here...I can tell you that this time we're hitting the dusty highways of the desert Southwest in search of "WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS"...
This week's Torture Chamber brings us classic rock, a father-son German metal team up and one of the best thrash records in many years...
DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG "Arising"
ENFORCED "Kill Grid"
VENEFIXION "A Sigh From Below"
MORDRED "The Dark Parade"
CACTUS "Tightrope"
FELL HARVEST "Pale Light In A Dying World"
PREPARE TO ENTER A TOXIC RUIN!
PREPARE TO ENTER A TOXIC RUIN!
Sheboygan, Wisconsin! The home of freshwater surfing and bratwurst. And now also the home of TOXIC RUIN! This energetic young thrash/death metal band calls the city on the lake home and they've just unleashed their second album, "Nightmare Eclipse". With the right blend of ferocity and technicality, this sucker shows they are worthy to join the next level of underground metal supremacy. A fitting time for us to hook up with drummer DAVE MILLER, who gives us an enthusiastic run-down of all things TOXIC-related. Put your hazmat suit on and read more HERE...
Lots of cool things swirling around at the updated Wormwood Chronicles. Look out for a chat with long running Atlanta sludge metallers WITHERED coming up very soon. Other bands soon to appear here are Chicago's black/death warriors WITHERING SOUL, Irish doom merchants SLOMATICS and Star Trek obsessed death metallers ZETAR! We also have a look at the cult sci fi classic "Creation of the Humanoids" and for the first time in a long time, we're getting a new wrestling article in "Over the Top Rope", dealing with my recent trip to a taping of AEW Dynamite in Chicago. As always, lots of other stuff in the works...
And no, we haven't forgotten about this week's Torture Chamber...here we go!
SPACE CHASER "Give Us Life"
WITHERED "Verloren"
HINSIDES "Under Betlehems Brinnande Stjarna"
DEE SNIDER "Leave A Scar"
AZIOLA CRY "The Ironic Divide"
ASHEN "Godless Oath"
THE NEW AGE OF WORMWOOD STARTS WITH NUNSLAUGHTER!
THE NEW AGE OF WORMWOOD STARTS WITH NUNSLAUGHTER!
We kick off the new version of Wormwood with a blast of unholy hellfire straight out of Cleveland! The nefarious NUNSLAUGHTER pays us a visit...more specifically, I chat to DON OF THE DEAD! Don fills me in on this diabolical institution and the transition they had to make after the tragic passing of long time drummer JIM SADIST! They also have a new album out "Red Is the Color of Ripping Death" which they can give us the lowdown on! Throw your cross away and join us for the chat HERE!
Coming up soon will be my talk with Wisconsin's rising thrash stars TOXIC RUIN and also an in-depth look at the cult science fiction film "Creation of the Humanoids"! Lots more is coming soon so stay tuned. You can click on the Archive link above to access over 20 years of Wormwood craziness!
And yes, the ever-lovin' TORTURE CHAMBER is also back, with a massive dump of metallic goodness for you to peruse...
DARKTHRONE "Eternal Hails"
TOMBSTONER "Victims of Vile Torture"
CRYPTA "Echoes of the Soul"
HEAVY WATER "Red Brick City"
MONSTER MAGNET "A Better Dystopia"
THY CATAFALQUE "Vadak"
DOMINATION CAMPAIGN "Onward to Glory"
CLARK COLBORN "Obscurotica"
SKEPTICISM "Companion"
WELCOME TO WORMWOOD CHRONICLES 2.0!
WELCOME TO WORMWOOD CHRONICLES 2.0!
Greetings, humanoids, and welcome back to Wormwood Laboratories! As you can see, we've been busy while you've gone! Many nights of torturous toil have gone into the rebirth of this website, which has endured for 20+ years of extremity and escapades! If this is the first time you've laid eyes on the Weird World of Wormwood, welcome! We are a website that specializes in underground music (mostly but not always of the metal variety), cult film, paranormal weirdness and the occasional dip into pro wrestling, conventions and off the wall opinion. It's gnarly, it's rough around the edges, but hell, somebody must like it or it wouldn't have lasted 21 years!
You can find the 5000 plus album reviews, 600 plus interviews, tons of film articles, concert reviews and delvings into the paranormal at the WORMWOOD ARCHIVE LINK, where our past is immortalized for all time! But after so long in our old format, it's a breath of freshly rotten air to have this new, streamlined look. We plan on filling this new site with all sorts of cool stuff, including interviews with NUNSLAUGHTER, WITHERED, etc., etc. as well as tons of album reviews in our notorious Torture Chamber. At the top right you will see links for the Interview and Torture Chamber sections, while the "More" heading will reveal other departments! We plan on wasting no time filling up all of these sections.
Keep an eye here every week, as we will keep you up to date on the latest depravity! STAY SICK, WORM-FIENDS!
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