Innumerable Forms - Dark Worship EP (2010)

I could say a lot of things about my own little neck of the woods. New England has been responsible for a slew of diverse and interesting acts, but at the same time we've always been ahead of the trend in the less desirable formats, i.e. the popularization of metalcore and American melodeath music. One thing I can't claim is that I've heard a great many death metal bands in the area. Sure, we've had our share, but I've never found an act like Bane of Existence or Burial particularly inspiring.

Enter Innumerable Forms, a band upon which little information seems to exist as of yet, possibly even a one man project, but performing quality death metal that is well worth a listen if you, like myself, fancy the wave of truly old school, crushing atmosphere that has seen a resurgence in the past few years. Bands like Vasaeleth, Decrepitaph and Funebrarum immediately come to mind when poring through the three tracks of the Dark Worship EP, but to put it into more of a source perspective, think back on the hostile atmospheres and grinding abandon of bands like Bolt Thrower, Death, Autopsy, Pestilence, and Incantation in their day, plus the earlier tones of the Swedish scene ala God Macabre, Grave, Crematory, Unleashed. Quite a list, you say? Well, knock yourself dead, because if you enjoy any of that...you are sure to be impressed.

This is a 7" EP, so of course there's not a lot on offer, but the 11 minutes should prove more than enough to send Innumerable Forms off to one of the several labels indulging in this style of late (Razorback, Cyclone Empire, Hell's Headbangers or Nuclear War Now! or the like could do well by them). "Illusory" builds wave after wave of pummeling, Bolt Thrower-like guitar work over crashing, echoing drums and massive vocals that sound the measure of a WALL of other death metal vocalists stacked on top of one another. There is no eloquence here. No elegance. Just vapid death metal that hinges on your doom, makes a mockery of your reality and tramples you under foot. "Life Beyond Life" casts a shadow of titan chords over buzzing, parasitic insectoid guitar vibrations before the tank rolls forward, a towering juggernaut of corpses that requires only a low speed to envelop and devour all in its path. "Contaminated" breaks whatever bones you have remaining, reducing you to a gelatinous mass, to ooze about in the ashes. You could easily close your eyes and imagine a mile high radioactive dinosaur trampling any center of civilization to the sounds of Innumerable Forms.

This is not a pick you upper. This is death metal in what must be its rawest, most primal form. Perhaps not as loose or rickety as Autopsy, but far more bottomed out. If you enjoy any of the newer bands I listed above, you have absolutely nothing to lose in checking out this band. Now if only the rest of the Boston area would follow suit by excelling in their respective sublets...we may have a scene worth visiting once more. Full length, please!

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/innumerableforms