Worm Shepherd has absolutely delivered one of the best deathcore releases of 2023. Their previous release, 2022’s “Ritual Hymns” was symphonic deathcore at its best and I wanted to hear more from this rager of a group.
Even with how oversaturated this subgenre has become since Lorna Shore blew up with Will Ramos and “To The Hellfire“, Worm Shepherd has reached a new level of apex with “The Sleeping Sun”.
This EP fills the feeling of desolation presented by the cover with soaring melodies, an epic and eerie atmosphere, some incredible vocal techniques from Devon Duarte, and a few cleans to spice it up.
Track-by-Track
Beginning this journey through blissful hell, “The Frozen Lake Part II (The Ruined)” offers the absolute pinnacle of new-age deathcore. Clocking in at just under 8 minutes, this track offers up a beautiful intro that honestly should have lasted a little longer before it delves into uncontrollable destruction. Devon quite possibly growls to the point of utter insanity after another melodic break halfway through the song. It’s ridiculous! The ending breakdown here is a pure wall of sound and it sounds fantastic.
Next up is “The Broken Earth“. This is the most melodic and epic-sounding track on the EP. Akin to a track you might hear on a fantasy RPG without the vocals, this track is sure to have you longing for an actual escape into the album’s artwork. It displays the variety the band wanted to bring to the table with this release perfectly.
“The Tortured Path” completely offsets that epic tone from the previous track as it easily has the most evil-sounding riff. This is my favorite song on “The Sleeping Sun”. It is also the slowest track with doom and sludge metal elements all over it. This song just wants to drag you into the deepest depths of despair and agony, and I love it!
As “The Dying Heavens” rolls in, you can clearly see the Lorna Shore influence creep in as the choir lifts this track off the ground before Devon comes in and tears the house down with not only a destructively heavy vocal range but an equally heavy clean section in which he displays a hauntingly depressing tone. The guitar work, especially the solo, is incredible as well and stands out tremendously.
This track leads into the closer “The Parting Sea” seamlessly, meaning they should always be listened to back to back. This is the song you listen to in order to get the full scope of what Worm Shepherd can do as a band. More cleans underlie the absolutely groovy riff near the 3-minute mark with a closing fade that ends the beautiful destruction on a high note.
Conclusion
Worm Shepherd has delivered on their promise of retaining their signature sound while evolving and going to places that see them grow into their own even more.
As time passes, I would like to see Worm Shepherd attempt to branch out and try out a pure deathcore approach on a few songs or releases rather than the symphonic and melodic approach that is currently defining this era of not only the band but the entire subgenre of deathcore.
They can still keep that signature sound and mix it with an absolutely crushing sound of destruction that I know they could pull it off!