Review by Sam on January 30, 2026.

Oh man, I love me some cavemen. If Autopsy and Asphyx had met in the year 1989 and proceeded to interbreed, Cryptworm of the United Kingdom may well have been the result. With this debut EP, which is entitled Verminosis, we are treated to an array of old school delights, ranging from a warm analog production to slow blast beats to some truly ancient sounding doom. Oh yeah, and death grunts. Plenty of phlegmy, splattery death grunts are included in this eleven and a half minute burst of brutality.

Brutal execution
Devoured alive by ravenous worms
Screams of the tortured
Dying slowly from a horrible death

I couldn’t have stated it more succinctly myself. This is the first verse of the opening track, 'Rotting Casket'. The chorus is the song’s title, spewed forth with the belligerent bellow of the berserker that is Tibor Hanyi, a complete and total hesher. Look out, because at 1:42 you will be plunged into a sea of anachronism as the first doom section of this mini-album gnashes its terrible teeth. When these guys slow things down is where they truly excel because they cause the listener to actually feel doomed. This is how I want to feel when I hear bands play doom.

There is not a weak riff to be found here. All of them crush equally. The guitar tone is dirty, filthy, disgusting, and the perfect vehicle for the abominable aura that these dudes create. You can hear Sabbath, Celtic Frost, and the two aforementioned death/doom bands; this brief EP is a veritable smorgasbord for fans of OSDM. On the title track, we are treated to some archaic alternate stroke one-footed blast beats from drummer Joe Knight. I just realized that there doesn’t seem to be any double bass on this record, but it doesn’t matter! It is not requiem for this diabolical duo.

The closer 'Cadaveric Flesh' delivers some of the most colorful riffing to be found here, ranging from tremolo-picked putrefaction to one of the most epic pick slides I’ve ever heard performed in this style of music. One of the final riffs is a spidery sixteenth note pattern that slithers in and out of your brain. All told, I simply cannot wait to sink my teeth into the remainder of Cryptworm’s catalog, and I’m definitely kicking myself for arriving so late to the party. Horns up and chuffly hails from across the pond!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10