#Wothrosch 🇬🇷 Odium
Band: Wothrosch
Title: Odium
Label: Hammerheart Records
Release Date: 13 January 2023
Country: Greece
Format Reviewed: High-quality digital recording
Wothrosch, from Greece are a new discovery of doom, sludge and black metal melding into a soundscape that creates something different for your ears. Maybe its these strong sources of musical influence they chose to highlight in this their first album, maybe it’s the way all three members pinpointed what they would choose as their unique signatures for this album, maybe it was all of that and a little more, but let me tell you, be prepared for an epic slam of metal that sears the brain and leaves nothing untouched. “Odium” is their first album, and prior to that was the 2022 separate single releases of “Tumor” and “Mass” both from the debut. The word odium means the state of being subjected to hatred and contempt as a result of a despicable act or blameworthy circumstance (In case you were wondering what the Title of the album meant)
A bit of back history on Wothrosch being an active band since 2018 and consisting of N.P on bass guitar, Nassos Defiant Stergiou on guitars and Philip Dellas on vocals. What these three have come up with for their first debut is a sonically charged darkness that cleaves to anything dark in you. Gives that side of things expression, and I’m all for that.
If you are looking for a sound bite, sounds sort of like, the bands Septic Flesh, Flesh God Apocalypse and Anaal Nathrakh may come to mind. Always remembering, that there may be a few similarities there, but Wothrosch does its own thing. On that note, lets check out the tracks on “Odium” and get right into it.
First track, “Child”, and you are immediately ushered into a twisted landscape of sludge infested riffing, drums kicking off, then changing to a slower heavy beat and the vocal is a roaring, fiery guttural slash across your ears. The track builds a darkly brutal climb to crescendos that offer no sense of reaching it, instead the deluge of darkness covers in waves and builds all over again.
“Tumor” begins in a cadence style of riff, that bleeds out into the back ground as more of the visceral vocal overtakes it. Chugging style riffs and drums eating up all the space in between. Vocs keep slashing and gutturally destroying, but all of this keeps building to a soundscape of torment and destruction. Third track “Disease”, sinister sounding , pealing riffs, in a slow, parade across a cobbled street in some dystopian scene, this gives you a picture of the sludge and doom progression in this track. Wow, then we get to some serious speed tremolos and drum combinations with raging vocals to counterpoint between.
Fourth track, “Sinner’ begins in a foreboding, hellish existence mood, with the idea of peril and certain death ever present. Mood carries heavy threads of misery, but the music throws you into a world of such pervasive darkness, unending roaring vocals painting this place as one of survive or don’t… no one cares. Epic sceneries in your mind as you listen that make this music the sound track of hell. (And yeah, I liked very much!)
Fifth track, “Purge”, really no words for this brutal vision, must be heard. Sixth is “Odium”, and yes this must be heard too. Think wall of sound encompassing brutal and yet melodic metal, killer vocals and instruments on fire. That would be “Odium”.
Seventh track, “Mass” with vocals in this track by Niklas Kvarforth, from the band Shining. This track is more in the punishing black metal delivery, with the guitar and drums. Niklas’s vocal is especially tormented in this, yet the rage underlies the expressed torment.
Last track is “Reign”, a slow down, heavier hitting beginning, with English spoken words, arise, unleash, fire, chaos, reign. With the word arise, especially featured in the guttural vocals, giving that almost medieval scenery of a dark knight/king on a mission. (Yeah, this track builds on the sceneries for me). Instruments are blistering in the guitar attentions, drums are ponderous beats of sludge, doom inspiration.
Wothrosch have made for themselves a unique sound, incorporating, sludge, doom and black metal. I enjoyed the production of the album, everything was pointed at making the best sound possible. This band lays it out there in the debut, and there’s no question that what they have is an intense brutal sound.
I give 7/10. Metal Marie
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