Endseeker is back with clockwork precision.
Since their debut album in 2017, Lenny (vocals, Devastator), Ben (guitar), Jury (guitar), Kummer (drums) and Eggert (bass) have released an album every two years. Global Worming, released in 2023 on Metal Blade Records, is the fourth in the series.
The Germans kick things off with Global Worming, the eponymous title track, which immediately sets everyone straight with its devastating Old School tones. The so characteristic Swedish-influenced sound, can be found underneath the rocky howls, with the leads offering a few more dissonant passages, as on Hell Is Here, which lets the melodies link up with its catchy patterns. The riffs remain effective, supporting the hypnotic solo, then become more majestic before letting Violence Is Gold charge us at full speed, coupling blast and sharp riffs on the verses, while the choruses prove strangely accessible and unifying. Wheel of Torture allows us to take a breather during its slower introduction, which the vocalist breaks before linking up with the throbbing rhythm that slowly tramples us as C.B.V. brings back the few Crust roots the band exploits to give its Death Metal a morbid energy, as well as a few backing vocals. The band continues with Terror, which lets an ominous introductory sample pave the way for violence, expressed as much via the abrasive rhythmics as via the few spikes of madness in the harmonics, then the cavernous final leads into Hanging Gardens, where riffs make you want to go and wreak havoc in a pit. The few quieter parts don’t last, leaving the five musicians to provoke us before Our Life Only literally explodes. It’s a short track, but it perfectly knows how to get to the heart of the matter, first with fast aggressive patterns, then with that dirty dark groove which will eventually give way to Nemesis, a track whose intriguing first notes fill the air before being joined by a burdening and oppressive heaviness, into which the musicians manage to add their massive and sometimes even melodic touch.
Endseeker‘s consistency is matched only by its quality. Previous albums won me over on first listen, and Global Worming is no exception, offering a highly rhythmic blend of crushing Old School Death Metal.
90/100