30th August 2024

Review: “Purify” by Dreadworm

Three years ago Riverside California was quiet, peaceful and serene having survived the tornado that was Suicide Silence. However all was not as it seemed as from one storm came another with Heavy Hardcore unit Dreadworm, a band intent on carrying out the actions depicted in The Purge, one riff at a time. Their debut record was dropped in March 2022, following a couple of singles a split EP with Majin and was all recorded, mixed and mastered by Sonisphere Recordings (Grimelord, Silent On Fifth Street, Unleash The Cerberus)…

A sample from 2013’s “The Conjuring” about inhuman spirits exposes the dark side of Dreadworm as “Fester” comes to life with sinister and menacing riffs that circle the drain of Beatdown Deathcore while their vocalist spills hits guts. A cut that feels like it belongs to the film itself, it’s very much what is needed to get the party started before the Metallic Hardcore riffs of “On My Six” open up the floor. The vocals are just as brutal but a dramatic upswing in tempo is what makes the track an instant scratch card winner and the same can be said of the blast beat laden “Disloyal“. A punchy, aggressive number designed for two step action with a pair of distinctive vocalists going head to head, it has that infectious quality about it that will have you rewinding the tape to hear it again pretty damn quick. While it doesn’t sound like a demo, the record is a little rough around the edges with the exception of the drum sound which is clean and crisp with nothing to muddy the waters.

Reverb and distortions give another dimension to “The Predator“, pushing the guitars into an 8-bit style direction while the distortions on the vocals make them sound nasty. The longest cut on the table is “Sewer Rat” which clocks in at 202 seconds, the band offering some interesting change ups in their rhythm gymnastics as they climb out of the tar pit which threatened to drown them. If we didn’t know better, there is the temptation to say that “Multiforms” was recorded in different sessions because the drum sound is slightly different and the guitars feel freer as if recorded without a click track. Piss soaked in Beatdown Deathcore riffs and rhythms, it makes you want to move those dancing feet with an evil grin. Simple but effective, “Purify” is the record that set the direction of travel for Dreadworm and it still feels as violent and aggressive as it was when it first reared its ugly head [7/10]

Track Listing