Italy is known for many things in the realms of culture and the arts but rarely looked to as a place for burgeoning death metal talent. Ironically, in an attempt to depict worms on the cover of the disc, it ends up looking more like a pile of spaghetti marinara. And when most people think of Italy, Italians, or Italian-Americans, what do they think of? Either it’s pizza, the Sopranos, the Da Vinci code, or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Although Wormphilism is not by any means trying to expose the naïve world to a new sector of Italian culture, they do make a valiant attempt at some nasty stuff.

I had read that Wormphilism is a combination of early Cock and Ball Torture and Devourment. After a few listens, I still could not coherently make the connection. However, there is a nice mix of brutal styles and faint hints of the aforementioned bands surfaces here and there. One can hear the "humorous" quality of some of the guitar segments ala CBT and the slower mosh madness of Devourment. The style and "flavor" of the music is interesting. Track two ranges from an "Onward to Gologotha" style riff to some sickening, low-tuned heaviness. Most of the riffs on this disc are solid and the vocals are deep, and for the most part, tolerable. The music is very low-tuned, somewhat crunchy, and plods along at a moderate pace. I must also mention that this is a CD-R and the recording is far from decent This album is the perfect example of a freshman release in which one must listen to the band for their style and sound rather than the recording. I have a feeling that the next release by this band will be quite decent.

Written By: Teufel