Review: “Death Beyond” by Whipworm

Haunting, icy keys send a chill down the spine as they rise from the depths of the catacombs to introduce “Letters From The Dead“, a Death Thrash cut with fierce unclean vocals from Weinand intertwined with spoken word parts to chemically enhance the foreboding atmosphere. The technical leaning guitars are complemented by pummelling percussion of the highest order, Weinand demonstrating his abilities as a storyteller over six and a half captivating minutes of mid-tempo churn and burn. His guitar work is equally as impressive as his vocals, some staccato riff breaks, a weighty breakdown and some eerie bends all playing their part in creating a powerful statement piece of a track. “Anamnesis” then rattles up with flavours of “Nightbringers” era The Black Dahlia Murder, the increased tempo allowing for some bursts of blast beats from Ferrara that work really well. There is a greater hunger in the vocals on this one as the protagonist of the story questions his sanity, hearing voices inside his head, suffering from memories that are not his own and hearing a call the the void. Keys create a spellbinding moment that borders on cinematic before brutal finale simply has to be heard to be believed. 

There is a sense of the theatrical with the spoken word parts of “The Teeth Beneath” as Whipworm experiment with off kilter melodies intertwined with potent Death Metal passages; Weinand demonstrating a phenomenal vocal range as he creates a multitude of voices to keep us on our toes. They literally go from the sublime to the ridiculous over the punishing riffs, this one flirting with Progressive Technical Death Metal time signatures to provide some spine juddering moments. Then comes the fret board smouldering solo over pomp and circumstance like riff breaks and you get something that feels like its from the mind of someone like Devin Townsend. Hell the spoken word parts sound like Philip Anselmo.

“Council of The Nine” sounds like Revocation on steroids, lightening speed and laser precision with delicate avant-garde moments and another spellbinding solo hit like a sucker punch and leave you wondering what you just heard. The riffs are razor sharp with at least two guitar layers and distinctive 90’s qualities, a burst of Morbid Angel style magic evolving into some Alice in Chains like vocal harmonies in stunning fashion. Things which on paper shouldn’t work together suddenly do in this brave new world, Whipworm dedicating the time and energy to match their vision and its paid off handsomely.

“Eidolon” pulls everything together as a piece that has all of the elements within its grasp, eclectic eerie moments getting turned to dust by their jagged counterparts, the rhythm guitars being exactly what you want to get the pulse racing. There is even time to shoehorn in a couple of small whammy bar moments during the racing final passage as the extremes within the sound continue to push in both directions. A dance macabre of piano and orchestration title track “Death Beyond” is a dark tale which bleeds theatricality, the guitars coming into play in the final third in devastating fashion. A masterclass in storytelling delivered with charm, verve and swagger, this is a stunning piece of the finest order. Some might see it as a risk but in all honesty its refreshing to hear a band broaden their horizons with something that works with the dynamic of the story. Bravo! [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Letters From The Dead
2. Anamnesis
3. The Teeth Beneath
4. Council of The Nine
5. Eidolon
6. Death Beyond

“Death Beyond” by Whipworm is out 16th March 2026 and is available over at bandcamp