The metallic hardcore legends are back! Ringworm is here with another lesson in aggression!
Now with their 9th album “Seeing Through Fire” & a career of over thirty years, Ringworm is continuing to fly the flag high for Clevo hardcore & bring it to the masses by joining forces with Nuclear Blast for this new album.
Elven tracks of fast-paced, pissed-off hardcore. Full of circle pit & spin kick moments that you could ever ask for.
The title track & opener “Seeing Through Fire” is pure unfiltered Ringworm. A heavy groove riff grabs you quickly & nicely builds out the track’s overall sonic assault. As vocalist Human Furnace lets out his iconic raw, the band pick up the pace & drags you to hell. Fast blasting & ferocious guitar work give you that classic Ringworm sound but it feels fresh & even more pissed than before.
Lead single “No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy” keeps that hooky & groovy sound. One one the best Ringworm tracks in their discography this track has such great punching power. You can sing along, headbang or get in the pit, It has everything! Longtime guitarist Matt Sorg has always had the ability to write the most catchy yet heavy-as-hell guitar riffs that have now created a new unrelenting discography for the band.
A track like “Unavoidable Truth” really shows that keeping a track simple, heavy & unapologetic by Ringworm pays off. The track has a great swing to it, Still keeping the pace high but not ungodly. A nice midpoint track breather that gives you what you need & leaves you full.
“You Want It To” brings in that bass groove that has become a great signature from the band. Bassist Ed Stephens is always to sprinkle a nice little jazzy, impressive bass line into tracks. And always mixed really well within Ringworm records his bass tone & performance always is a driving force. Along with drummer Ryan Steigerwald who joined the band a few releases ago is a consistent showcase of the vicious drumming the band needs to help round out their barbaric sound.
The closing track “Playing God” is a nice little break-up from the relenting force. It’s a trippy, distorted nightmare. Using clean, picked guitar leads with echoing-like solos to drive the track. While H.F. gives us eerie quotes & leaves us feeling unnerved & closes the album in a different but excellent way.
The best thing about Ringworm is they are one of the last hardcore bands who stay consistent. Their last two records “Snake Church” & “Death Becomes My Voice” have been some of the best the group have ever produced. You know what you’re getting with Ringworm. A fast, pissed-off record. Full of great moments & some surprises nicely throughout. Adding another fantastic record to an already untouchable discography!
Joseph Mitchell
Seeing Through Fire is out via Nuclear Blast on 18th August
1. Seeing Through Fire
2. Carved In Stone
3. No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy
4. Death Hoax
5. Thought Crimes
6. Unavoidable Truth
7. House of Flies
8. You Want It To
9. Mental Decontrol
10. Power and Blood
11. Playing God
RINGWORM is
James ‘Human Furnace’ Bulloch (vocals) Matt Sorg (guitar)
Mike Lare (guitar)
Ed Stephens (bass).
RINGWORM – Discography:
The Promise (1993)
Birth Is Pain (2001)
Justice Replaced By Revenge (2005) The Venomous Grand Design (2007) Scars (2011)
Bleed – EP (2013)
Hammer Of The Witch (2014) Snake Church (2016)
Death Becomes My Voice (2019)