Vermiin are a new project, formed very recently by John Stillings, the guy behind Steel Hook Prostheses (and part of the Kerrstillingskozletskynyströmpetrus-collaboration), and Bathory Legion. John co-operated with Bathory Legion before (even live), so that explains the cohesive interaction of both parties. Vermiin created a first album, called Spiritual Parasites, which gets released via Steel Hook Recordings, a label run by John.
First of all this: there are some guests collaborating, amongst whom Nysrok Infernalien, (formerly) known from the likes of Aborym, Satanik Terrorists, Alien Vampires or (mighty!) Bloodline, and Nicola Savelli (think F.L.D., Gargamella or La Cuenta), each guesting on one track (see further). Four tracks are joined by Marko ‘B.R.K.’ Anzu (‘Born Rule Kult’).
Spiritual Parasites, mixed and mastered by John himself, lasts for forty two minutes. And considered the background of both partners involved with Vermiin, there is no chance to find back emotional elegies right here – unless emotions correspond to hatred, disgust and misanthropy, of course!
Spiritual Parasites is the embodification of sonic rape, of anti-Music, of aural terror, through the use / abuse of some sweetly related genres: Rhythmic Noise, raw Black Metal, Death Industrial and, why not, elements from Harsh / Power Electronics. As from the opening ‘song’ The Desolate Chamber it’s clear we do not have to deal with an album you’ll listen to while having your grandmother to dinner. But that opening composition surely grabs me by the ball… I mean, the throat, and it leaves me satisfied and longing for more. It opens somewhat droning and, at the same time, very haunting, and after about one minute, ‘vocals’ join in. And with ‘vocals’ I mean: the most tortured (or is it: torturing) throat-sadism right from the deepest pits of the Underworld. Soon after an ominous ‘spoken voice’ (dis)pleases the vile anti-melodies, before evolving into a harsh, primal Black Metal riff à la the nastiest efforts ever created during the early nineties. Slowly, and sweetly, this transfers into a morbid explosion of electronized Industrial, with an atmosphere so dense, so asphyxiating, so evil… Damn, this is a new interpretation of Black Noise in all its glory! Hexenheim, the next composition, initially combines utterly evilized Black Metal riffing and bone dry screams with nihilistic Noise / Industrial feedback-sounds, and whole the time the primordial riffs and violently penetrated and molested by that what destroys ear drums the physical way, and spirits the psychic way? This is the ultimate soundtrack for schizophrenia and total World Destruction. Things get even worse afterwards. Head Of Death is a repetitive Minimal Industrial piece, mechanically marching forward to the Final War, and being the least extravert outburst on this album. Then comes Pentagramaton, a piece of distorted noiscapes and dissonant experimentation that, eventually gets joined by, once again, down-tuned and melodious Black Metal riffing. The track Vermiin is another example of this project’s glorious ability to combine Black Metal with Harsh Noise and Death Industrial. But at the same time, it’s the first time that the guitar riffs are even melodious as in ‘melodious’. Hey, have you guys created a real ‘structure’ right here? Traveling In Lower Spheres goes even further with its Black Metal approach. More than before, the nastiest corners of the Second Black Wave are proudly and violently spawned through the speakers – think Carpathian Forest or earlier Gorgoroth maniacally re-interpreted in order to create the most oppressive sound ever. And then those eerie synths that add such beauty! Kuru (with Nicola Savelli) is a nihilistic yet extremely sick piece, rather a mixture of Harsh Noise Wall and grim Minimal / Death / Black Industrial. Kuru gets followed by Vigeland, with Nysrok involved. Vigeland is mainly based on extremely heavy guitar riffing, reminding me to the Sludge / Drone trend (truly unique it is, the way this specific element gets injected into the whole experience), yet evidently it gets interrupted by sonically incorrect pickings whole the time. Only towards the end, let’s say the last half a minute, there’s some quietude too, almost of an ambient kind. And that’s somewhat an omen to the final composition too, which is called Tearing Through Sinew To Reveal The Crimson River. The first one minute and a half bring a haunting soundwave of softly-droning ambience, with some mysterious spoken words sampled through, but then everything transforms into another brutal Black-Blast beast, mercilessly destroying hope or peace. The guitar sound is extremely buzzing, yet of course that’s the one and only way to sound like, evidently. The last minute of this piece, and of the whole album, isn’t but a pure conclusion, by means of combining highly painful shrieking (not vocally) and another vocal sampling.
Here it ends, the official part of the game, but there’s a ‘hidden’ track too, which is another frenzy, psychopathic mixture of sonic extremities. I think I do not exaggerate if I call this (untitled) piece the ultimate epitome of the whole album…
The result called Spiritual Parasites isn’t the average release you’re trusted with, probably. Besides the likes of Gnaw Their Tongues, Y’Ha-Nthlei, Enbilulugugal, Chaos Echoes, Terrorgoat or Reverorum Ib Malacht, amongst some others, I do not know that much bands that can be compared to this kind of stuff, I mean a symbiosis of Death Industrial, Noise and Black Metal.