Metal Underground.com

When this reviewer took a look at Wormrot’s Abuse last year, a grind frenzy was discovered. The Signapore trio has ignited the metal scene since that time, involved in several high-profile tours and strengthening their reputation as a formable live group. For their second act, “Dirge,” Wormrot doesn’t so much evolve as they fine-tune the little issues “Abuse” had with album flow and distinction between songs. It’s a sharp and focused side of the band not heard on their debut record.

A selling point to “Dirge” is its 25 songs compressed into 18 minutes. For any other genre, that would be deemed an EP, but since it’s grind we’re discussing, it can be classified as an LP. While “Abuse” had an up-and-down pace, the space surrounding the restraint tempo and cacophony of noise is more thought-out. While half of “Abuse” had songs over a minute long, only a handful are present on “Dirge.” They are placed in pairs in the first, middle and second half to avoid the monotonous nature of grind music.

Some will complain about the shortness of the LP. However, it all boils down to quality over running length. Eighteen minutes is an adequate amount of time for a genre like grind, unless a band gets creative with their tempos (Brutal Truth, Napalm Death) or has a schizophrenic lust for the weird and offensive (Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Anal Cunt). Wormrot packs their sophomore record tight with content.

Much of the material goes by so quick that it’s hard to retain anything initially. The more toned-back songs show off catchy riffs and even a melody or two. “The Final Insult” is the band expressing themselves without words, a well-done instrumental outside the norm. Heavy feedback welcomes “No One Gives A Shit,” while brief clean guitar is present on “Principle Of Puppet Warfare.” Those begging for a sequel to “So Fierce For Fuck?!” will have a large grin with the massive, five-second “Fucking Fierce So What.”

“Dirge” is more of the same for Wormrot, but that isn’t a bad thing. The dual vocal assault spits out vicious threats, and the band destroys their instruments with no hesitation. The band refined their musicianship and to-the-point songwriting, and has put out an album on par with “Abuse,” if not a smidgen better. The album doesn’t stick around for long, but the wave of destruction it unleashes is the kind that usually takes bands twice as long to accomplish.