There is something about when a record feels more like an event than a collection of music from the same recording cycle. Grandiose explosions of creativity and mad dashes toward drama don’t come every day, even in a genre that is known for going over the top. These bands and albums feel there isn’t a stage big enough for them.

For the type of music Worm, the Florida-based avant-garde death/black/doom metal duo of vocalist Phantom Slaughter and guitarist Wroth Septentrion, create, it doesn’t seem like something arena-ready. Nor should it be. But on their fourth full-length “Necropalace,” Worm expand their virtuoso-blazed guitar work, eerie environment, and horror movie aesthetics not just to a major metal label in Century Media but also their own universe they’ve created. It also might take a few tries for this to fit. As much as I enjoy the band’s entire catalog, this has even more ambition and manic terror, there are more twists and turns to navigate. But the work is worthy, especially on that listen when it finally lands.  

“Gates to the Shadowzone (Intro)” starts with thunder and dramatic synth, guitars open and soar, and everything burns into the title track that is a total force. Guitars blaze as the vocals scorch, keys storming and adding a dose of regality to the madness. Slaughter’s vocals hit a desperate creak as the vicious, active tempo sprawls, the power gets grittier, and then the tempo ravages, keys flooding before disappearing into a shadowy darkness. “Halls of Weeping” has keys pumping and drifting, warmth melting ice layers, mucky playing clogging, and the cries retching. The playing cools as howls ravage, and guitars enter a mysterious fog, marring your psyche. The might punches out of the vortex, melodic leads gush with effusive emotion, and moaned howls slip under the flesh, the horrific aura spreading dangerously. “The Night Has Fangs” opens with warm leads that dizzy, and then the mid-section is split apart, crazed fury spilling generously. Guitars flurry as the synth lines dare, stabbing into heated soloing that hypnotizes and excites. The vocals scrape over metal as the tempo bursts, cutting a path while crushing dreams, a smokescreen obscuring sight.

“Dragon Dreams” is the second-longest track, running 12:06, and it starts clean and hazy, like a dream that lingers through the night, and then electricity strikes. Keys storm as vile wails collect, the playing temporarily going cold before melting in an instant. Gothy clouds amass as the vocals punish, and the leads bleed openly, keys glazing and congealing wounds. Melodies glisten as calls bellow, and an immersive, tornadic force drags everything into oblivion. “Blackheart” locks psyches in a vice, the humidity generating uncomfortable air, disorienting as the keys hypnotize. The guitars get catchier as keys drip, and manic cries burst, torching and fraying nerve endings. Closer “Witchmoon – The Infernal Masquerade” features guest guitar work from the legendary Marty Friedman, who more than makes his presence felt with his masterful soloing that fits in this strange world rather perfectly. The guitars blow open, the screams hanging onto bruised flesh, the solos trading off and generating total delirium. Organs sprawl as the pace sludges and chars, an onslaught of power riveting, making blood race through your veins. Keys take over as the swampiness floods and the dueling guitars dazzle, bringing the record to a massive, fire-breathing end. 

Worm’s jump to metal’s major labels will be interesting to watch as records such as “Necropalace” need time to sink in fully, and there is so goddamn much going on, it could be frustrating for some. But no concessions appear to have been made musically, and this band’s vision has grown more ambitious and mystifying since “Foreverglade” and “Bluenothing.” This one took me a few times to fully acclimate to Worm’s universe in 2026, and those excursions have more than paid off, as this is bound to be one of the most challenging and mesmerizing records of this year.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/wormgloom

To buy the album, go here: https://centurymedia.store/collections/worm

For more on the label, go here: https://www.centurymedia.com/