It was for years that I felt as though it wasn’t nearly often enough that the possibilities of sludge metal had gone largely unheralded outside of a few key exceptions. Now, I know that the best sludge is the kind that you have to dig for and really seek out lest it fly right under your radar with only luck and word-of-mouth the two chances you have to discover what you may have effortlessly missed. As such, plenty of names throughout the dense mirth of sludge metal can go largely unheard, but it’s on rare occasions that something fascinating rises out of the darkness to offer us a glimpse of what can still be done in such an uncompromising sound. Having taken a silence for the last five years, the return of Oldd Wvrms is almost like returning to home for any fan of metamorphic sludge.

Having made a terrific reputation for themselves with an instrumental approach that what no less than voracious in damn near every extent without so much as a shred of compromising to be had in any of their efforts, Oldd Wvrms is the type of sludge that’s meant to pummel the listener but also lift them above this foul realm of creation to a plane that just feels ever so right. Their works have been diverse and engaging in the past, and that goes double for what they sought to bring to the table for the pair of tracks that’s seen within “Abysséphale”. The Belgian act has never been one to spare the listener of evisceration through immensity with this work offering some of the band’s longest songs to date to make “Abysséphale” stretch well past thirty minutes, enabling the piece to evolve, contort, and burst forth in spectacular fashion as the very magic of Oldd Wvrms is made clear in each note that’s thrown down. Through hypntoic rhtyhms and atmospheres that are simply intoxicating to behold, this is the kind of sludge metal that is downright seductive with its power the perfect vessel to deliver magnificence of its magnitude that roots the listener in place, allows them to feel the serpent as it slithers across the flesh, and entices the listener to the very will of Oldd Wvrms. Vicious yet no less than awe-inspiring, the diversity of Oldd Wvrms speaks volumes.

Even as we find ourselves seeing more sludge slowly starting to rise to the surface for more to see what the genre has to offer, Oldd Wvrms remains a truly reliable source of excellence that fans of the sound should absolutely be flocking towards. Where anything could have been possible with an instrumental format, works like “Abysséphale” are what we dream of.

LISTEN to “Abysséphale” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Oldd Wvrms on Facebook here.