Swedish trio Black Wound finally unleashed their debut album onto the world this May through Chaos Records. Capturing the darkness and intensity their countrymen are known for, Warping Structure channels music from the bowels of the earth and plays it dark and heavy. Much like tectonic plates, Black Wound move slowly and deliberately making each note, growl, and squeal as important as the last, choosing depth and darkness over speed and shredding. This allows the band to mix together elements of death, doom, and black metal as they see fit, crafting a creepy, cavernous cacophony of vicious and vile metal.

 

Popping onto the scene in 2021, this trio has offered up demos, a split, and an EP, leaving the fans hungry for more. Delivering a healthy dose of dark death, Warping Structure proves that Black Wound are a force to behold, and the heavy, bleak songs within can bring about a cold winter even on the nicest of Spring days. Keeping the guitars low and the bass astoundingly lower, the stage is set for brutality to reign. As stated above, this album is about being deliberately paced, so shredding and spastic guitar action is used sparingly. Because of this, there is a more even tone to the arrangement, like a consistent, unchanging gravitational force. This is backed up by the drums, which keep the pace well and help reinforce the terrifying atmosphere. Eschewing the tendency to hit full blast and take the album off path, this restraint and attention to vision shows the band knows what they want and can work together to get it. Vocally, the utterances are harsh and grim, bouncing between something growling like early Incantation and snarling like later Dark Throne. The varied tones and pitches of vocals let's the band tweak their expected path a little and these minor variations add a nice sense of unease and discomfort. In addition to the instruments listed, the band adds in some minor noisy effects on some intros and outros that further the creep factor as well as increasing the unexpected. Much of this comes from the heavy reliance on thick reverb and some vocal delay. However, while this thick reverb certainly adds a massive element of subterranean caves and chthonic chaos, it can often get in the way of itself and muddy up the mix. Darkness is all well and good,  but unwanted obfuscation takes some of the enjoyment out. Not that everything needs cleanliness and clarity, but it's a fine line that is often crossed on this album.

 

Showing their chthonic chops, Black Wound's Warping Structure pummels the world with their full length debut. Grim, dark, and heavy, the album plays like an underworld ritual caught on tape. Summoning up death metal demons, the trio further the genre's evil reputation with their subterranean sound. While it isn't without its flaws, the good far outweighs the bad and Warping Structure is an excellent debut album