Review: “In Filth” by Writhe

A doomsayer’s cautionary tale that feels as though it’s going to increase in its relevance with the passing of time, a gripping and intense tale of a sentient AI’s transformation into a Lovecraftian entity of unfathomable horror is what Writhe have created as their debut burnt offering. A Progressive Deathcore collective from the United Kingdom who count Lorna Shore and Humanity’s Last Breath as influences, they are looking to make their mark with a branding iron. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Sebastian Smith, “In Filth” finds the outfit joined by Rania Bailey who performs orchestral vocals throughout while drums were recorded with Lucas Fletcher (Anxiety Trip, Apathy, In Constant Sleep) at Shell City Studios in Blackpool…

Rising from the tar pit, the spitting, snarling and downright savage beast that is Writhe waste no time in painting the World in blood to match their nightmarish vision as opening cut “Hollow” represents the moment an AI trapped in dystopia gains consciousness. Writing around in the filth humanity has left in its wake, the brutal onslaught is an unstoppable whirlwind of destructive power, rumbling bass and pulverising percussive battery matching the larynx threatening vocal while being accompanied by Thall guitars of the heaviest order. Rania Bailey adds an ethereal clean vocal moment which gives texture to the abject horror of this sonic abrasion, the final moments sounding almost apocalyptic in their awakening of the beast. As a collective the band paint in texture and as a result there is a wealth of nuance in the party platter of their sound that gives the record an extended afterlife; “Ascendant” has a spoken word passage and blast beats that push into Blackened Deathcore and even Extreme Metal territories without flinching, the musicianship being nothing short of impeccable. Again Bailey adds another dimension, the main vocal is so ferocious that is needs that element to contrast against it so as not to create a black hole, the punishment beating of the sound the kind of thing they use to keep prisoners sleep deprived in Guantanamo Bay. The agony and ecstasy in this intense offering are unreal, wiping the floor with numerous more established bands recent offerings.

Restless and relentless “Vermin” goes off like a nail bomb, piling breakdowns upon breakdowns and leaving a requirement for a fleet of tow trucks in its wake. Underneath the layers of crushing sonic waves there is however a macabre melancholic melody, etched in synths and echoed in the vocal which gives another dimension. It might not be something you hear at a first and it may take a little concentration but it is there and once you find it you won’t be able to unhear it. Title track “In Filth” comes to life with synths that give it the edge of bands like Draconian Reign before tearing at the flesh with the kind of vicious vocals that are enough to trigger a brain haemorrhage in the weak minded. There are borderline unhinged moments in the feral display which drags you kicking and screaming though a tear in the fabric of space and time, the sheer sonic weight enough to bring tall buildings crashing to the ground as the rhythmic battery cracks the foundations. A majestically evil near eight minute closer “Chasm of Slumber” heightens the senses by encapsulating everything that came before it into one easy to swallow nightmare of spine juddering riffs, the mid cut breakdown section being a real moment to savour. The synths are icy with tinges of 80’s science fiction horror films and “The Cold Sun” era Loathe, the melancholic lament once again hidden underneath the avalanche of brutality that strangely enough is reminiscent of Black Tongue. Writhe are the four horsemen of the apocalypse sent to bring plague and pestilence to this once green and pleasant land… and they love nothing more than the smell of fresh napalm in the morning [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Hollow
2. Ascendant
3. Vermin
4. In Filth
5. Chasm of Slumber

“In Filth” by Writhe was released on 24th November 2023 and is available over at bandcamp.