HOD

Book of the Worm (Arctic)

San Antonio – metal town. A homegrown troop of extreme headbangers thus surprises no one, but the sheer, brutal force driving Book of the Worm, HOD’s second full-length, will turn heads if not twist them off altogether. Consider the savage, blackened death metal of “Through the Gates (They Come for Me).” Drummer Dennis Sanders and bassist T.A. rumble precision tempos and relentless fury, while guitarist Necron drives slashing riffs through the solar plexus as phlegmatic shouter Vladibeer Reebs celebrates his upcoming demise. “Death Whores” and “When the Ghouls Feed” pull fewer punches, rolling around in macabre humor and bad vibes like an orc in the guts of his slain enemies. “Under Tyranny’s Hammer” grinds the screws harder and longer, drawing strength from cries of the innocent. Given the bone-snapping violence with which the quartet delivers unholy hymns, it’s best the venomous “I Am Destroyer” rages less than two minutes. If life is truly nasty, brutish, and short, HOD remains that aphorism made ripping flesh and dripping blood. ***

This article appears in November 21 • 2014.

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