Ringworm – Death Becomes My Voice

Punk within metal 

For some people who may not know a lot about music history, there have been several bands who were extremely successful with writing and performing dynamic music composition for a year or two, before quitting writing and performing because some of the band members wanted to pursue other musical or life projects. Metal band Ringworm is not a stranger towards putting the band down to rest, as they had done that a couple of years ago. Ringworm was formed in Cleveland in 1991, and in 1993 the band released their first album titled The Promise. The album became an instant success toward the hardcore metal genre and they started touring.  But, despite their early success, the band decided it was time to part ways because the lead singer Human Furnace wanted to keep working on his artwork and tattooing while the rest of the band members continued to play hardcore metal music with legendary artist Integrity.

In 2001 Ringworm came back into the music scene with their well-known album titled Birth is Pain and following the release of the album, the band released eight more successful records. Earlier this year, the band released another album titled Death Becomes My Voice and this record is dynamic because of how the band uses the style of punk and metal music to create an album which displays dark themes listeners can relate to. Furnace’s voice is superior because of how many ranges his vocals can reach and when he shouts the music, his vocals produces the energy in the song, lead guitarists Matt Sorg and Mark Witherspoon provide dynamic musical riffs which are being played at a faster tempo and their guitar solos are cutting edge as they contribute to the sound of dark music with spunk. Meanwhile, bass guitarist Ed Stephens plays in rhythmic tunes in a faster and slower pace on the album and his guitar skills shine bright on each track and drummer Mark Witherspoon provides erratic drum beats which match the pace with the rest of the band. His drum solos are wild and creative on the album.

On the album there is a song titled “Dead to Me” and this song is rather unique because of the content of the lyrics and how well the band plays with each other throughout the song.  When taking a first glance at the title of the song, it does have a feeling that the song could be about vengeance and hatred toward another person but the song is actually about a person going through dark moments and how they are not the same person due to the pain and anguish the dark moments bring into their life. In some ways, listeners can relate to this song because everyone has had their fair share of dark moments changing their lives and becoming different because of what was within the darkness.  The song starts off with with absolutely wicked drum beats and guitar riffs. The drumming by Steigerwald plays an important part in the song because he brings the fast tempo and beats that can cause listeners to dance crazy. Meanwhile the guitar riffs provided by Sorg and Witherspoon contribute to the cutting edge sound in the song and Sorg’s solo is mind-blowing because his style of guitar playing is electrifying, Stephens can be heard rumbling a low melodic tune in the background with his bass guitar and his bass guitar skills are quiet and calm  and the vocals by Furnace are loud and clear because of the way he is shouting out the lyrics of song with emotions This song provides the loud music fans want to hear and this song will be a great one to hear live.

Another song which provides punk and metal music together is titled “Carnivores” and the reason why there is the sound of punk music is because of how the drumming by Steigerwald has the distinctive punk sound and the bass guitar can be heard playing a low key fast-paced tune before the rest of the band changes the musical style to metal. What is enjoyable about this song is how even though the band changes the music to metal, the distinctive sound of punk can still be heard through the song and that is unique because the band did manage to merge two musical genres together to create loud and insightful music. Also, the sounds from both lead guitarists provide the loud metal fans yearn for and the vocals fill the track with great authority. If listeners want to have a taste of two musical genres merging together, this song will allow them to feel the creativity the band has for music.

There is one song the album which simply stands out more than the rest of the songs and it is titled “I Want to Tear the World Apart”  and the reason why it stands out on the album is that the music is straight pure metal. The song starts both lead guitarists playing a low riff then the drumming comes in with memorable and fast-paced drum beats, the bass guitar can be heard in the background rumbling to a low tune while playing the same tempo and the vocals sound authoritative on this track because of the theme of the song. Furnace shouts out the lyrics in pure distinctive rage,  Sorg and Witherspoon play in musical passion by playing cutting edge riffs, Stephens bass guitar skills play in low key rage while matching the same tempo with the rest of the band and Steigerwald’s enthusiastic drum beats contribute to energy within the song. If listeners want a song where they can bang their heads to the music, this track will meet their expectations. 

Overall, Death Becomes My Voice is a fantastic album which is filled with a promising mixture of punk and metal music. If listeners would like to hear some of the songs live, Ringworm is currently touring in the U.S. and there isn’t a doubt that their show will be a great one to see.