From the opening moments of the album, the distinctive style resonates a mélange of previous work through wonderfully crafted elements that combine a haunting atmosphere of the scintillating guitar solos in the album’s intro, “Gates to the Shadowzone”. The demonic symphony of the damned, which sounds epic and dark, sets the tone for the eponymous track “Necropalace,” where the grim vocals freeze your soul as the guitars seamlessly combine tremolo-picked riffs, while the compositional framework is saturated in a dark gothic beauty.

The full-length album emphasizes grim black metal vocals, guitar shredding, and cohesive drumming; the symphonic effect of the keyboards creates textures, whereas the melodic tremolo-picked guitars are fortified by fast double bass and an ominous synth section.

The cover art of the album invokes a cosmic and symphonic theme similar to Odium’s “The Sad Realm of the Stars” and Necromantia‘s “Crossing the Fiery Path“, apart from the myriad inspirations from heavy metal to death and doom, Worm unfolds its majestic sonic experience to create transitions in the song “Halls of Weeping”. The guitar shredding of Wroth Septentrion showcases a spellbinding performance; the epic heaviness tends to be atmospheric, making the music sound darker.

The guitar strikes just the right balance between atmospheric black metal muse, offering excellent neoclassical guitar melodies in “The Night Has Fangs.” The creative and dexterous guitar skills deliver profound atmospheric passages with their black metal symphonic touches and spellbinding rhythm and lead work. The tempo slows down to focus on the gloomy atmospheres and the shredding guitar solos, which is one of the highlights. The imaginary art, corpse paint, and gothic-inspired 90s black metal side reminds me of Cradle of Filth‘s “Dusk and Her Embrace” era.

Tracks like “Dragon Dreams” showcase a class of majestic songcraft packed with haunting guitar melodies. C. Koryn‘s drumming is powerful and frantic, but it provides drum fills and flawlessly transitions from one tempo to the next.

On “Necropalace”, Worm welcomes the listener to the nightmarish limbo of dread and fantasia where the floating spectral phantoms reside in starry realms guarded by mythical creatures and dragons that surround an imperial palace. The song arrangements showcase an unprecedented level of mastery when it comes to fantastic guitar virtuosity; riffing is superb and relentless, relying on a level of technicality.

“Blackheart” is one of the memorable songs, emphasizing the menacing atmosphere and highlighting the great musicianship. The synth shines here, creating a unique, gothic aura of the 90s era. There are plenty of spacious mid-tempo and some highly effective heavy riffage, lead guitar soaring to lofty heights, which give the song a beautiful variation. Symphonic keyboards and heavy guitars define the imaginative, evocative, and beautifully haunting soundscapes set amid the backdrop and spooky choirs.

The symphonic and atmospheric climax is exemplary, clearly reflecting the rich musical qualities. The blackened doom atmosphere is filled with omnipotent and scintillating guitar work, while the synth brings innovation to the sonic palette, creating haunting themes of epic grandiose metal. Thanks to the wonderful arrangements, which turned out to be perfectly suited to this kind of album.

The coherent song structure in the final epic closure of the album “Witchmoon – The Infernal Masquerade”, which features Marty Friedman as a guest guitarist, continues in a symphonic manner. The composition exults creativity and offers a captivating bewitchment with the ominous keyboards and guitars that swell to an enthralling apex. Otherworldly synth passages tie the song into cohesive and crafted moments, and there are plenty of variations that evolve into something dark and captivating.

The guitars are infused with doom-laden riffs, and the drums give a heavy, crushing effect, showcasing memorable riffing and dual vocals. At the very end of this fourteen-minute track, there is a fantastic crescendo towards the end of the song, followed by the aesthetic guitar shredding of Wroth Septentrion.

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