ALBUM REVIEW
WYRМ CHASM – Wyrm Chasm
Atmospheric black metal with melodic aggression.
WYRМ CHASM’s musical journey, which began in Dallas in 2015, finally reaches the full-length format with the band’s self-titled debut. Having remained limited to a split EP for years, their discography now takes on a more substantial form with this eight-track release. Drawing on the atmospheric and melodic side of American black metal, the band operates within a musical framework that brings to mind names such as EMPEROR and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. There is also a noticeable affinity with the melodic ferocity of Swedish black metal in the guitar work. The resulting sound seeks to combine the aggression of second-wave black metal with broader melodic structures.
Opening track ‘Netjer’ provides a good starting point for understanding the band’s approach. A dark melodic line built around tremolo-picked guitars is reinforced by blast beats and relentless double-bass drumming, while Stephen Jeter’s high-pitched, ferocious vocals define the track’s intensity. Buddy Griffin’s drumming goes beyond simply maintaining a high tempo; through rhythmic accents and unexpected flourishes, he takes the tension generated by the guitars in different directions. Rather than constantly seeking out new riffs, Eric Carrasco and Dale Childs expand the track’s atmosphere by layering melodic motifs. The melodic approach becomes more pronounced on ‘Fall of Gaia’, which carries something of the melancholic atmosphere associated with bands such as HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY. The contrast between the harsh vocal delivery and the melodic guitar lines makes the track all the more memorable.
‘Throned Entropy’ and ‘Duality of Existence’ reveal different tendencies in the album’s guitar writing. On the former, the intense rhythmic drive of the double-bass drumming combines with guitars that lean towards the dark melodic sensibilities of Scandinavian black metal. The complementary, layered interplay between the two guitars is particularly noteworthy. ‘Duality of Existence’, meanwhile, is built around a more restrained melodic introduction that gradually merges with increasingly forceful drumming. The opening melody never gets lost as the arrangement intensifies, making this one of the track’s more successful structural elements. The shifts in dynamics throughout the middle section also demonstrate that the band does not have to rely solely on speed and aggression. The decision to draw on the interplay between rhythm and melody rather than resorting to flashy displays of virtuosity suits the overall character of the compositions.
‘Majestas’ is one of the tracks that makes more pronounced use of the guitars’ melodic potential. Seemingly simple melodic ideas are developed through repetition and increasingly dense arrangements, lending the track a natural sense of tension as it unfolds. The emotional shifts in Jeter’s vocal delivery are also significant here. While he generally employs a dry, sharp, high-pitched black metal vocal style throughout the album, there are moments when he adopts a deeper, more furious approach. On ‘Eyes of the Eternal’, the rhythmic foundation provided by the double-bass drumming creates a different framework for the guitar melodies to move across. This relationship between the instruments supports the track’s increasingly intense finale. ‘Spiraling Decay’, by contrast, is more direct and aggressive in character. Fast drumming and dark melodic riffs allow the band to maintain its intensity without pushing its atmospheric side into the background.
The album’s production deserves particular attention when assessing this musical approach. The recordings were made at Razor Throne Studio, with mixing and mastering handled by S.A.M. Studios. Rather than opting for the clean, spacious production that clearly separates each instrument, the result has a dense and occasionally congested sound. The rough texture of the guitars, combined with the hard-hitting, upfront drum sound, gives the music a distinct underground feel. However, the crowded mix sometimes makes it difficult to follow the melodic details within the guitar arrangements. Leaving more room in the album’s atmospheric passages, in particular, could have allowed the different layers of the compositions to come through more effectively. As a result, while the production’s raw character contributes to the music’s aesthetic, the same approach occasionally leaves the overall sound lacking in clarity.
The fundamental problem with WYRМ CHASM’s musical identity, however, is that its melodic and atmospheric material does not develop into a sufficiently diverse range of compositional approaches. Although the tracks feature changes in tempo and dynamics, the melodic language of the guitars often follows a similar course. Tremolo riffs, intense drum passages and subsequent shifts into more restrained melodic sections recur throughout the album. This makes it difficult to distinguish some tracks from one another, despite the strong ideas they contain individually. Moreover, the band sometimes seems overly eager to return to full speed rather than allowing its melodic passages to develop on their own terms. Giving these melodies more room to unfold and exploring different harmonic directions could have made the album’s atmospheric side considerably more distinctive.
‘Light at the End’ stands out as an important exception in this respect. As the album’s closing track, it allows the guitar layers to develop their melodic ideas over a more extended period. Variations in the vocal delivery, occasional deeper growls and melodic transitions reveal possibilities that the band does not fully explore elsewhere on the record. Its extended structure demonstrates that WYRМ CHASM can be effective not only through fast, aggressive black metal but also through compositions that introduce carefully controlled dynamic shifts. The fact that one of the album’s strongest moments comes at the very end also makes the lack of variety in the preceding tracks all the more apparent.
"Wyrm Chasm" is a competent full-length debut that brings together the melodic side of American atmospheric black metal and the ferocity of Swedish black metal. Although its affinity with bands such as EMPEROR and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM is evident, these influences have yet to develop into a distinctive compositional language of its own. Good riffs, effective melodic ideas and occasionally impressive drumming fail to form a sufficiently cohesive and memorable whole, largely because of the repetition of similar structures. Nevertheless, ‘Majestas’ and ‘Light at the End’ in particular demonstrate the level the band could reach by developing its melodic material more boldly. What WYRМ CHASM needs to overcome is less a question of technical ability than of turning its musical ideas into more distinctive compositions. Rather than representing the culmination of that process, this album serves as a solid starting point from which the band can continue to develop.
