Death Becomes My Voice

Another year, another Ringworm LP. Or at least, that's how it feels. When I saw this had come out it felt like only a few months before I had picked up the one before. But when I look back at this blog it tells me that the last LP was 2.5 years ago, and the previous one was two years before that, so I guess it feels like these things come out more frequently than they do. Anyway, I'm digressing. The point is that last year there was a new Ringworm LP released entitled 'Death Becomes My Voice'. I've only just gotten around to acquiring and listening to it, and even though it is early days, it's already ranking up there as the best one in quite a while.

As usual, the cover is a pretty nice work of art in it's own right. And, as with the last two records, I held out for a clear vinyl copy. I mention this every time I pick one up, but Relapse have always made 100 clear vinyl copies of each release they put out which are not available to Joe Public. Regarding this LP, the label's webstore states: '100 x Clear (Not available to the public - Friends of band and label only)'. So not just the best looking version, but also the rarest. A double win.

At this point I have to admit that I struggled to fully appreciate the last couple of Ringworm LPs. They are so intensely heavy that I find it difficult to listen to either for more than about 4 songs in a row. As such, I felt that I never fully got into them. But something about this one is clicking with me more. I mean, this record is still undeniably Ringworm, but it generally feels a little less 'metal' and a little more 'hardcore' and thus it's easier on my ears. I doubt I could explain this in such a way that would convince anyone to agree that this isn't a metal record, but the important thing here is that I know what the hell I'm talking about even if nobody else does.