One time I pulled a muscle in my lower back, and it kept me hobbled for the better part of two weeks. Everything was a hassle to complete, and trying to walk the dog was mission impossible. That was a minor injury. An annoyance. I can’t imagine the upheaval of sustaining a major injury and having the deal with the aftermath.

“The Convalescence Agonies,” the second record from Weeping Sores, tells that kind of story, where a debilitating injury changes your life and threatens to rob you of some of the most important skills you possess. Doug Moore (vocals, guitars, bass) experienced this very thing in 2018 when he severely injured his shoulder, and as the injury took its toll, it robbed him of the ability to play guitar for a stretch of time. This record and its five tracks recount the five-year struggle Moore endured to be well enough to play guitar and write this record. And it’s a ripper, yet one with a phantasmal heart. Its a stew of death metal Moore created with drummer Steve Schwegler and further enhanced by  cellist Annie Blythe, keyboardist Brendon Randall-Myers (Scarcity), banjo player Lev Sloujitel, and guitarist Pete Lloyd (Replicant, ex-Dystrophy). But it’s not just a metallic journey. It’s one that puts you through a mental ringer, stretching your brain to its limits.

“Arctic Summer” starts ringing and chugging, strings glazing over the chaos, which is a musical recurrence on the album and a chillingly welcome one. Moore toggles between guttural growl and panicked shrieks, the sounds stretching as the chaos bubbles, howls crushing as everything races toward a calming sheen. “Empty Vessel Hymn” brings teasing guitars, menacing chugs, and gurgled growls, the melodies tangling in the background. Strange vibes float as the keys flush, feeling like the soundtrack to an old horror film, laid to rest with spattering drums and a charred finish. “Sprawl in the City of Sorrow” has noise hovering over like a phantom before death growls squeeze your throat, brutality leading the way and moving into bloodier terrain. Strings flutter as the pace trucks harder, an elegant fury rising amid dripping keys and an oncoming nausea. Growls sicken as the pace flattens you, the guitars fire up, and cold melodies change the rising temperatures, offering a disarmingly calm release.

“Pleading for the Scythe” starts rather clean and breezy before things turn burly and rubbery, the growls retching through muddy waters. The battering speeds up, and dangerously so, the howls menacing as blasts rip off your face, chiseling and thrashing through an ocean of sickness. Keys mix as the guitars hypnotize and blur, driving steadily toward a welcoming abyss. The 14:24-long closing title track is calculated, growls chewing into picture, guitars glimmering even as the threat of audio violence becomes more apparent. Morbidity thickens as the growls crush, guitars sweep, and strings bring in a strange chill that soothes your wounds. The excitement calms, guitars slowly beaming through thick, black clouds, the brutality ramps up in full, and unhinged cries tear down your spine. Shrieks and growls do battle, the guitars catch fire, and the keys and strings rise, bringing a hypnotic end to such a raucous journey.

Not only do Weeping Sores generously deal metallic agony on “The Convalescence Agonies,” but you practically can hear the physical agony Moore endured writing and completing this record. Having a major part of your craft torn from you due to physical limitations obviously is frustrating, and every ounce of that was poured all over these five songs. So, it’s a triumph on two levels in that Moore overcame his injury, and that the world got a twisted, snarled new serving of death and doom to warp our brains.

For more on the band, go here: https://weepingsores.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/ 

Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/ 

For more on the label, go here: https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/