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WORM CASKET
Infesting The Morgue EP

Macho (2026)
Rating: 7/10

Multi-instrumentalist Ryan Wills is rapidly becoming the Rogga Johansson of the U.K. death metal scene. Slithering his way into a variety of ghoulish projects (Seven Doors, Grave Ghoul, Born Undead, Antropofagore etc.), his latest venture is teaming up with vocalist Paul Jones (Crypt Feeder and Enchantment) and skin slapper Mike Hardisty (Written In Torment) for four tracks of death metal stodge.

There’s no room for frills here as the trio embarks on a relatively simply journey through filth as doom-laden chimes echo via gloomy, dank passages. ‘Rest In Pestilence’ squirms from the pit, dripping and glistening like some ancient mould spore thriving within the subterranean levels of Hell. Rushes of clammy riffs entwine with murky slower leaks of humid doom before the foul air is punctured by a despondent solo that doesn’t really want to escape from the abysmal fog that claws at its wiry sinews. Jones’ vocals are despairing gasps of horror as he chokes on his own gritty bile; his style not necessarily as guttural as I imagined but instead leaning towards a Possessed or early Celtic Frost expression.

‘Corpse For A Day’ features some of the band’s fastest work as hyper percussive blasts riddle the gelatinous blubber like machine gun fire raking a pile of steaming cadavers. Of the quartet of tracks offered, ‘Corpse For A Day’ sounds the sharpest due to its blustery nature as Worm Casket rabidly rush through cold corridors like a ravenous pack of thirsty undead.

I’m more of a sucker for the thicker, doomier segments as exhibited during the latter stages of closing cut ‘Undeathly Obsession’. The trio crafts simple yet effective waves of foreboding which are littered with the predictable yet welcoming spirals of lead work – a nice alteration from the more aggressive plumes of vicious lung-spiking smog. Hardisty comes into his own with his brand of macabre skin bashing as he creates a suffocating layer of ominous tumbles. His thrashier exploits are also impressive as he steadily rises in vigour through the opening torrents of ‘Infectious Necromancy’, a frenzy of wicked death thrash lashing as the vocals emerge as ghastly retches and oesophagus strains.

From fusty flurries to coatings of squalid contamination, Worm Casket is quite content to loiter among the seedy shadows of familiarity as those nostalgic frameworks are delivered. Paul Jones, Ryan Wills and Mark Hardisty have not set out to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they have clogged the spokes with congealed matter. Good old fashioned death metal is what it’s all about here. So, jump in the casket and succumb to the worms.

Neil Arnold

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