Levi / Werstler: Avalanche of Worms

Oh god just what the doctor ordered, another instrumental guitar shred fest of an album allowing a couple of supremely talented guitarists to completely indulge themselves in a mind numbing multitude of masturbatory soloing and other guitar pyrotechnics. Not so fast, let's not be so quick to judge this latest effort to come out of the Magna Carta camp because I'll tell you there's definitely a lot more going on here than meets the ear, as the twin guitarists from metal outfit Daath, Eyal Levi and Emil Werstler have unleashed a brilliant and ultimately versatile sounding tour de force with their first disc entitled creepily enough, Avalanche of Worms.

You'd be best advised to prepare yourself in advance for a veritable onslaught of intricately layered guitar passages and some absolutely scorching runs up and down the fretboard as the duo's wild and sometimes exotic excursions are anchored here by the massive rhythm section of bassist Kevin Scott and drummer Sean Reinhert from Cynic.

What really keeps Avalanche of Worms interesting for the full forty minute duration and what ultimately helps set it apart from other instrumental guitar albums is the duo's uncanny ability to constantly change things up. For example the spacey keyboard interlude towards the end of "Obsidian Fissure" gives way to a few bars some clean and crisp soloing before segueing directly into the next track "Plague House". Shorter transitional songs like "Trellis Of Thorns", the atmospheric "Hollow Thorax Of The Gilded Eye" and "Trepanation & Bliss" which is a fifty second track with a short solo from Reinhert overtop some splendid, acoustic flamenco guitar; it's these well timed and perfectly executed variations and different movements that make for a very rewarding listening experience. Sure both Levi and Werstler are technically accomplished players and although they have plenty of opportunities to showcase their chops, there's nothing here that feels like an overabundance of guitar wankery. If I have do have one gripe with Avalanche of Worms though it would be with Maor Appelbaum's mastering of the album, which is just too damned loud overall, but I guess this is pretty much par for the course with how music is produced in today's digital age.

The stunning display of musicianship and the impressive amount of depth within these twelve compositions is reason alone to pick up a copy of Avalanche of Worms. It's a hell of a ride from beginning to end.

Track Listing
1) Noxious Vermin, My Friend
2) Dura Mater
3) Obsidian Fissure
4) Plague House
5) In Amethyst, Through Moldavite
6) Trellis Of Thorns
7) Hollow Thorax Of The Gilded Eye
8) Loathsome Little Fiend
9) Trepanation & Bliss
10) Architectural Necrosis
11) Casting The Molten Sea
12) Chrysalis Wound

Added: May 10th 2010
Reviewer: Ryan Sparks
Score:
Related Link: Magna Carta Records
Hits: 3576
Language: english

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