Album Review: RINGWORM – HAMMER OF THE WITCH

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“We do and play what we want”

Ringworm vocalist, Human Furnace

Hammer of the Witch is the fifth full-length release from Cleveland hardcore titans, Ringworm. Out on March 18 in the US, and 13 tracks strong, Witch is one hell of a thrill ride full of all the required elements any self-destructive headbanger could ever want; speedy riffs, impossibly fast percussion, and death-wish lyrics about the devil and blood. But what else would you expect from a band of seasoned metalers who have been bashing in skulls with their guitars and born-of-fire vocals since the early 90’s? How about a record that sounds like if it could, it would leap out of your speakers, chase you down, then crack your skull open just for kicks.

Barrelling along with the precision of a serial killer with a PHD in anatomy, Witch mixes some of the best hardcore metal to come out this year, and serves it up with a heavy side of thrash. But it’s almost all about the lyrics that spew out of Ringworm vocalist and lyricist, the Human Furnace that murder me loudly, track by track. His signature sound, cultivated by a strict regiment of cigarettes, ice water, and tea, is in top form as he screams about your worst nightmares. Like the track, “Leave Your Skin at the Door” (aka – what the “welcome mat” on Satan’s doorstep says), which immediately brought to mind the movie Hellraiser. And there is nothing not to love about a band that draws heavily from their love of horror films. It’s rumored that the bands name was inspired by the Vincent Price flick, The Conqueror Worm. And the backing vocals on Dawn of Decay sound like actual witches; so mote it be.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something about the stunning album art on Witch. “The White Witch” was illustrated by the Human Furnace himself, who in addition to being a super brutal frontman of a super brutal band, is also an accomplished tattoo artist and illustrator. The White Witch took the Furnace over 200 hours to create. With a nod once again to horror films, it looks like a female version of the Engineer from Prometheus. FYI – giants scare the shit out of me. Are you terrified yet? Good. But I digress away from the headbanging point of this review.

The track “We’ll Always Have The End” contains one of the most stunningly brutal display of vocalization I’ve ever heard, followed by the Human Furnace audibly spitting after growling his way through the end of the track like a werewolf who just bit off Mike Tyson’s ear. Recently, the Human Furnace said in an interview that Ringworm has historically been “too metal for hardcore, and too hardcore for metal”. But with Hammer of the Witch, the band has managed to blend both genres seamlessly, and thrash it up a bit. As a music fan that listens to all kinds of metal, as well as other genres of music for hours upon hours a week (okay, a day), I’m always waiting for a record like Hammer of the Witch to wake me up and punch me in the face. It’s records like Witch that have made me a lifer when it comes to being a fan of metal. It always sort of blows my mind when people act surprised that metal is still a thing. It never wasn’t a thing, you just have to pay attention. And since I, and many other headbangers always will pay attention, I’m here to tell you that Ringworm just put out what could easily be considered the best metal record of 2014. All hail Cleveland, Satan’s favorite place hide from all the fucking poseurs.

And if that all sounds good to you, and I’m pretty sure it does, then you are in luck. Ringworm will be causing bleeding ear syndrome at SXSW this year and, will be playing a ton of dates up and down the East and West coast through April.