Review by Dominik on July 5, 2025.

Wormwitch’s “Strike Mortal Soil” is like a culinary experiment gone wrong—think of ratatouille made by an over-ambitious chef who just discovered fusion cuisine and has no idea when to stop adding ingredients. With a mix of black metal, death metal, hardcore, crust, and a little bit of post-something, this album attempts to throw everything into the pot and stir it furiously, and voilà, musical mayhem. In theory, this sounds like a fun experiment. But as is often the case, theory and practice are two very different beasts, and here, the experiment leaves me with musical indigestion rather than satisfaction.

My problem with “Strike Mortal Soil” isn’t that Wormwitch lacks talent or ideas—far from it. The band clearly has a range of influences they draw their inspiration from, but in their eagerness to create something unique, they’ve pushed things too far. To put it a bit figuratively, “Strike Mortal Soil” feels like a musical car ride with a driver who's either drunk on ambition or just plain confused. It’s like they are a car racing down a road, with the lead guitarist pushing the pedal to the metal while his co-driver is simultaneously trying to pump the brakes. At one moment, they’re blasting away with unbridled black metal ferocity, and the next, they’re flipping into hardcore mode, only to complete my confusion by slamming on the brakes with a crusty breakdown. You know the feeling: one minute you’re cruising, the next you’re thrown out of the window because your driver decided that turning left actually means hitting the gas and going straight into a wall.

Take "Everlasting Lie," for example. The track starts off with some solid switching between crust and hardcore vocals, and you think you’re in for a pummeling, straightforward ride. But then, at the 2:12 mark, the song takes a sudden turn, throwing in a Motörhead-inspired riff that seems completely out of left field. I still don’t know whether to applaud the band for being so unpredictable or demand they finally pick a style and stick to it. After many listenings, I still do not get a feeling of progressiveness, but rather a sensation that the bandmembers themselves aren’t sure where they’re headed.

All this creates a problem for the vocalist, who seems trapped in his own musical purgatory. It’s like he’s constantly playing catch-up with the band's incessant genre-switching. In the track "Cerulean Abyss," he delivers a Tom Warrior-esque "Uuh" that feels less like a tribute to Celtic Frost and more like a half-hearted attempt to create some semblance of metal identity. It leaves you wondering if the poor guy is aware of just how many styles he’s supposed to cover in one song.

Now, despite this chaotic mess, there are glimmers of hope. The band’s technical abilities are far too good to completely derail the album. "Weregild" is a standout track, showing that if the band focuses, it can deliver good results. It’s a banger, even if it feels like the musical equivalent of channel surfing. It moves through styles faster than I can press buttons on the remote control. "Relentless Death" is another highlight, with death metal riffs sliding into crust territory or vice versa before a heavy metal bridge attempts to reel you back in. Just as you think you’ve gotten used to the groove, the song detonates with black metal fury in the last 40 seconds. It’s moments like these where the band’s chaotic energy actually works in their favor.

"Mantle of Ignorance" provides another snapshot of what Wormwitch is trying to accomplish with this album. It is another tour through the band's extreme metal toolkit, cramming an entire collection of subgenres into just under three minutes. It’s impressive in a sense, but it leaves you wondering if Wormwitch has a case of musical ADHD that no amount of medication could fix (so far).

In conclusion, “Strike Mortal Soil” is a technically skillful album filled with interesting ideas. However, it often feels like the band is trying too hard to impress by juggling too many influences at once. If you (like me) need an album that is consistent in its entirety, then you will probably see the result of Wormwitch's effort as a patchwork which we may consider as ambitious, but which doesn’t always hold together as a cohesive whole. There’s no doubt that Wormwitch has the potential to craft something better, maybe even great, but they’d do well to refine and focus their approach. Spoiler alert: Stay tuned for the review of their two latest releases. Maybe the dudes managed to turn me into a fanboy after all…..

Rating: 6.5 out of 10—because even though this patchwork of genres is technically well executed, too many ingredients spoil the broth. Sometimes, less really is more.

Review by Kostas on September 9, 2023.

It is a fact. After 32 years, countless releases and live shows, Rotting Christ release their thirteenth full-lenghth album, The Heretics. A continuation to the obscure Rituals and admittedly a record I wasn't sure what to expect from. Many people bear mixed feelings about this band. Old school fans are disappointed, others are excited for the new music and so on. I'll try to be objective and write a review about the music only.

It is obvious from the very start that there are going to be many symphonic elements in this album. The gregorian chants and multiple vocal styles help build an awesome atmosphere which is present throughout the record. It is not exactly dark. I'd say rather sinister. A mix of awe and glory, definitely the outcome of the aforementioned vocal influences combined with the classic Rotting Christ riffs. These riffs are dynamic, clever and catchy. And they actually work as the power plant of The Heretics, providing the rest of the music with energy and aggression and evolving all the musical compositions to the next level. It is really a pity that drumming and most bass lines are once again rather boring, preventing one more record from standing out as a gem.

Although no gem, The Heretics is still a very good album. We could say it is a combination of everything good about Rotting Christ. There are the great old guitar rifts, the incredible solos, Sakis' extreme vocals... and of course numerous legendary quotes from the big heretics of the past. Well, to be honest, I think they overdid it with the quotes in this one. There is just too much talking in The Heretics. But anyway, there is nothing new, really. Besides some female vocals in 'Ветры злые', everything else is something you have heard in a past release by the band. From the gothic melodies of 'Sleep Of The Angels' to the battle hymns of 'Aealo', I could spot elements from every single album of Rotting Christ. Do you really want to know what this record sounds like? Imagine all these past styles, combined with some rather uninspired simplistic lyrics and many chants. This is what The Heretics sounds llike.

I know, that's not bad for many metalheads out there. I actually caught myself enjoying most of the tracks as well. This is catchy, quality music for sure, at least to an extent. However, I'd love to hear more and I know this band can achieve more than recycling themselves over and over. Adding some symphonies is unfortunately not enough to create a new album. In the end, I'm glad this album is well-written and I'm pretty sure many people who don't know the band will find it very enjoyable. But I also know it could be much more than just enjoyable.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10