April 6
Pest Records
Words by Jack Harlen
Immemorial Shrine is the debut album for two-man French band Wurmian. This offering combines elements of early Katatonia and In Flames, producing a unique sound that feels like a blend of classic old-school Melodic death metal and 90s doom metal with elements of the more modern sounds found in their respective genres.
Totalling seven songs, Immemorial Shrine seamlessly blends each song, feeling more like one cohesive soundscape rather than separate tracks. France has often been a powerhouse for extreme conceptual bands such as Alcest, Gojira and Deathspell Omega and being very much a fan of these bands as we dive into this album, I hope it can inspire these same ideas of atmosphere, brutality and insane riffage.
Aeon Afterglow instantly transports into a dark, doomy atmosphere where the melodic passages in the first moments of the track embody classic moments of 90s melo-death, drawing instant comparison to In Flames’ Lunar Strain. Here we build upon that with a modern style of death metal guitar playing flowing over the melodic pieces. Sonically, this band feels like more than two people. Instead, their sound reverberates around, perpetuating the expansive atmosphere of the first few moments. The vocals enhance the brutality of the track, with light synth elements overlapping the choruses with the drums pummelling away on an intense opening track. Though I do wish the drums were louder, it does provide the landscape with a sense of rawness that conjures up images of desolate wastelands and isolated spaces that are present on the album artwork.
Drifting into the title track Immemorial Shrine, the experience Antoine Scholtès has in creating an atmosphere is ever present. Here melancholic keys provide melody under a pulsing guitar riff where the blast beats behind it only amplify these dynamic, ethereal sounds. Scholtès prior work in solo black metal project Inherits The Void injects itself into Wurmian’s DNA, his skills in creating dark, atmospheric black metal colouring these tracks with an additional layer of emotion. Yet with passages combining his strong vocals and classic riffing style, it really does feel like a marriage of classic doom and death sounds.
Next up is our first single off the album, the six-and-a-half minute track Haven. Here, the vocals feel as though they are being sung from somewhere below the instruments, providing an otherworldly-feel. This song evolves from a synth-soaked doomy backdrop into a ferocious back half, whose chugs and harmonised sections feel as dirty as they did years ago. Fans of Blood Incantation are likely to feel right at home with not only this track but this band, not that the sounds are identifiably similar but rather for the ambience, presence and places Wurmian are able to sonically transport you to.
To say I fought with what song would be named my favourite here would be underselling the mental debates I had with myself and Spires of Sorrow. Our next song is one such name that remained in the top three for a long while. Consistently building up feelings of anxiety, this song contains sweeping mood changes that play so naturally with each other. There’s something about France and their ability to produce the grooviest riffs alongside complex melodies, and here it’s no different. Scholtès and drummer Solène Virsk balance a dance of chaos and control, locking in just as it feels as though the song may run away from itself. Spires of Sorrow stands tall as a powerful track, but we have not yet reached the peak of Immemorial Shrine.
Spires represents a preamble; an introduction to a darker place, moments before impact. If you like your doom metal, slow and sludgy with waves of melodic passages explored throughout then Yearning Unseen is a song that needs to be heard and my recommendation for best track on the album. This song is punishing with a tight push-and-pull feel throughout its duration. The bass blasts menacingly through the mix while the vocals cut through for an abrasive assault, yet this dark song has moments where it comes up to breathe, allowing it to be both thoughtful and melodic. The breaks in the violence give way to moments where it truly feels Wurmian evolves the formula of even the most modern death metal bands. It’s not formulaic or tacky, but unique and meticulously constructed.
Sleeping Giants feels an apt description of the penultimate track, while also being the most black metal influenced of the album which may dissuade some. It’s arrangement allows for a better more evocative track than your average blackened-death metal piece, allowing the drums and bass to replicate the footsteps and reverberation of something massive and unknown, while the guitar work emphasises danger and trepidation. It’s a very moody track, complete with some more great synth and string work that has been present throughout the quieter moments of the album.
Out of nowhere, we transition to what I can’t believe is already the final track of the album. The Everflowing Stream is the last single to be released and at seven minutes long its composition is so interesting and thematic that it’s begging to be heard. Throughout its run time, the final track is also the album’s most prog influenced, opening up into larger, more complex passages as we continue. Tapped melodic sections, large chords chugging over synth-filled choruses evoke feelings to compare The Everflowing Stream to Katatonia’s Brave Murder Day, another death-doom album whose sounds are captured through the nostalgic style of Wurmiam’s vocals, riffs and composition style.
An instrumental lead melody carries us out of this desolate landscape, and you can’t help but want more from this sound. The strength of Immemorial Shrine is its ability to present a concept that is felt sonically while remaining interesting and listenable even if not listening to the whole album. This is clearly a band with a lot of thematic creativity and ability, being able to restrain themselves to produce tracks that feel cohesive and complete. I cannot wait to hear the next project from these too and hope they maintain their unique blend of modern and nostalgic genre sounds.
