When I was but a child, the heaviest music I listened to was The Rolling Stones. I was captivating but the classic rock and roll sound like many were, and I’m still enamored with it to this day. Yet, I rarely ever see such a sound incorporated into metal. Sure, I’ve heard delicious riffs that I can’t get enough of but I rarely see a band take rock and roll but perform it with death or black metal. Today, though, I came across Wormwitch who seemed bent on delivering some black n roll the likes of which I haven’t heard in a long time.

Black metal is no stranger to seeing bands come along and infusing every sort of riff and rhythm into its sound thanks to bands like Mork and even earlier legends like Darkthrone who sought to bring an occult catchiness to the mix while still having everything absolutely drenched in black metal. Wormwitch appears to be going down the same path as their latest album, “Strike Mortal Soil”, is the modern epitome of what it means to be a black and roll band of the underground where the metal charges at you with equal parts crushing black metal and catchy riffs that keep you drawn into the experience for the entirety of its runtime. This band really knows how to not only execute tantalizing riffs that really knows how to sink their meaty hooks into you but also how to not recycle the same sound, keep the energy going, and allow one riff to flow into the next as “Strike Mortal Soil” progresses to not only make the album tastefully stylish but also cohesive, and that’s something too many bands forget about when assembling a record. And pile that on top of simply excellent songwriting, loyalty to a style that can’t be denied, and immaculate execution and you’ve got a volatile album that kicks all the fucking ass and one that delivers from start to finish many times over!

I’m well aware that black and roll has a fair amount to its scene, and it’s definitely one that I need to frequent more often if it’s filled with bands like Wormwitch. I could use so much more of this in my life. “Strike Mortal Soil” is a very tasty record that treats listener incredibly well with a gracious feast the likes of which they’ll keep coming back to simply to have just one more tasty morsel.

LISTEN to “Strike Mortal Soil” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Wormwitch on Facebook here.