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"

FM                                                            "Brotherhood"

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?"

THOR                                                        "Ride Of The Iron Horse"

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"

NITE                                                                       "Cult of the Serpent Sun"             

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!

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!

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"

MAUL                                                                             " In the Jaws of Bereavement"

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?"

1349                                                                          "The Wolf and The King"

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"

VIMUR                                                          "The Timeless Everpresent"

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

TRAMPLED 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 REVIEW MILWAUKEE METALFEST 2024!