Review by Norbert on January 7, 2026.

Everyone sees a worm for what it is. It's usually a tiny creature, usually crawling or wriggling on the ground, often a parasite or pest. A creature that universally evokes disgust and revulsion. Unless, of course, it encounters its equals. For example, fans of death metal music, which generally evokes disgust and revulsion in the so-called casual music consumer.

Among all the worms of this world, there's one in particular – the band hailing from Florida, the Mecca of death metal... Worm, whose artistic offering – their third album, Foreverglade, released in October 2021 – should appeal to all genre enthusiasts. Okay, maybe not everyone. Worm is a worm that crawls rather slowly, unhurriedly moving through the muddy territory of death. Lovers of frantic tempos, a barrage of blast beats, and a barrage of furiously biting riffs will likely turn their backs on this creature. In disgust 😉.

Worm, founded in 2012 by the nondescript Fantomslaughter, was initially a one-man black metal project, but over the past decade it has undergone a significant metamorphosis – both stylistically and structurally. The addition of keyboardist Equimanthorn in 2016 coincided with the incorporation of death/doom elements into the band's formula. Worm's second album, Gloomlord, released in 2019, deservedly received high praise – it was 40 minutes of highly engaging doom metal tinged with a touch of black metal darkness, a healthy dose of death, and a hint of the stench of the swamps of their native Florida. Two years later, the band, reinforced by two more musicians – lead guitarist Nihilistic Manifesto and session drummer L. Dusek – returned with their most mature offering to date: Foreverglade.

Death/doom metal is a rather hermetic genre. It would seem that everything there was to say on this topic was presented years ago by My Dying Bride on "Turn Loose The Swans," Anathema on "The Silent Enigma," Katatonia on "Brave Murder Day," Paradise Lost on "Gothic," Amorphis on "Tales From The Thousand Lakes," Cianide on "The Dying Truth," and Asphyx on "The Rack." Yet, year after year, new bands honoring the music of the Old Masters spring up like mushrooms after the rain. What makes this Florida worm stand out from the flood of similar productions that makes me praise it so highly?

A dark, apocalyptic atmosphere, ominous, sepulchral vibrations with dense, fat riffs, plaintive melodies, crushing bass work, and inhuman growling. Yes, all of this is present on Foreverglade, in perfect proportions and superbly produced. But there are also elements that seem out of this world. The band's black metal origins are still resonant, thanks to Fantomslaughter's distinctive screeching vocals, which intertwine perfectly with the low, gut-wrenching sounds typical of death metal. There are black metal fragments, as well as interludes clearly reminiscent of the funeral doom aesthetic of Disembowelment or Evoken. From time to time, the sludgey smell of swampland still manages to emerge from beneath the deadly cover. Eyehategod, anyone? And there's something else. Something that might intrigue, but will likely put some people off – the guitar solos. Most songs on Foreverglade feature at least one solo that could be lifted from the golden age of traditional heavy metal. Sweep-picking on a death/doom album? Yes, yes! (Although I admit I initially had some trouble with it, I got over it 😉).

Phew, quite a mix? It's not in this genre-bending—it could, after all—that the strength of Worm's third album lies. Foreverglade is six brilliantly composed, perfectly arranged, dark, and unsettling tracks with beautiful melodic lines. Six tracks with an overpowering, colossal sound. Six tracks filled with a mysterious atmosphere and vast space, yet so heavy and brutal that you should kneel, all nations. This worm is likable. Maybe even huggable?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on October 26, 2021.

I think what Worm did with Gloomlord made it seem near impossible to outdoor, but to hear Foreverglade and think that it’s not a superior album to Gloomlord would be a lie. The growth displayed by this Floridian sect is amazing, they went from the rotten and stinking Evocations Of The Black Marsh to the graven Gloomlord and now a haunting, keyboard, organ and synth romanticized Foreverglade.

While the genesis of Worm's newfound and unexpected immeasurable support came through their sophomore album released through Iron Bonehead, Fantomslaughter for the most part seems like a pretty chill guy. It’s not very usual that artists this sort interact so openly with their supporters, except for a handful such as more recent to memory Trevor of heavy metal band Haunt. Plus coming from a black metal background its more likely than not that obscurity and seclusion surround the member/s. Fantomslaughter on the other hand surprised me when Kens Death Metal Crypt featured him in an interview where Gloomlord, future recordings and just his metal upbringing in the Floridian scene and general metal topics were discussed. Hence the excitement for the new monolith Foreverglade began to really build stir in motion.

Foreverglade pieces-together everything you love about Gloomlord and adds a colorful and more atmospheric, sprawling template to the primary texture of Worm's music. From Disembowelment to Mystifier, Encoffination, Evoken and My Dying Bride (among many others), Foreverglade delicately prepares a poisonous yet tasty, picturesque embodiment of their phantasmic portrait on their latest funeral/death/black/doom practice.

The foggy, crepuscular opening of title track 'Foreverglade' which also introduces the listener to Worm's haunting sound through the adaptation of keyboards and synth, eloquently sets up the record and wastes no time establishing the primary audial aesthetic of Foreverglade. Onwards, Worm in an even more emboldened demonstration sprinkle beautiful particles across the album with pieces such as the thunderous and epic, yet haunting 'Cloaked In Nightwinds', 'Empire Of The Necromancers' and 'Centuries Of Ooze' that fetch the bulk of the weight needed for developing and progressing the record into a fully shrouded, dimly lit atmosphere, thus being the standout tracks for me. Yet in surprising opposites of Foreverglade's bleak, barren and desolate landscape, you'd discover melodic, keyboard-driven passages that shape the ambience into dreamy auroras nearly sheathing the dense and dark blossoming.

Not abandoning their black metal roots, Worm seamlessly sew into Foreverglade's fabric sharp snarls and shouts that peak on the indelible 'Empire Of The Necromancers' via that build and burst into an incandescent crescendo towards the closing moments. These vocals are contrasted by cavernous growls that feed off hulking power-chords which are satisfying to absorb as they provide a meaty shell to the emote and piercing guitar solos. And about the riffs and solos on Foreverglade, they're like fireflies trapped in a dark pit emitting light, or some sort of ominous glimmer just beneath the froth settling atop a stagnant body of water. You'd hear this truly manifest and take a hold on the centerpiece of Foreverglade, 'Centuries Of Ooze', as Worm's strengths are collected and magnified from the beginning of that song and last all the way to the ceremonial closing that take a plunge into depression via the crestfallen enochian chants almost dragging you into the forbidden territory of Worship.

In addition to Equimanthorn and Fantomslaughter, it appears 2 session musicians under the guises of L.Dusk and Nihilistic Manifesto with the former handling drums and the latter executing addition guitar duties. Compiled with the soothing and sublime synth compositions of Equimanthorn and Fantomslaughter's vocals, guitars, synth, and bass, Foreverglade has proven to be yet another much needed shakeup in the metal underground. Foreverglade is a crushing and sullen yet poignant and saccharine entry in the Worm swamp.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Norbert on January 7, 2026.

Everyone sees a worm for what it is. It's usually a tiny creature, usually crawling or wriggling on the ground, often a parasite or pest. A creature that universally evokes disgust and revulsion. Unless, of course, it encounters its equals. For example, fans of death metal music, which generally evokes disgust and revulsion in the so-called casual music consumer.

Among all the worms of this world, there's one in particular – the band hailing from Florida, the Mecca of death metal... Worm, whose artistic offering – their third album, Foreverglade, released in October 2021 – should appeal to all genre enthusiasts. Okay, maybe not everyone. Worm is a worm that crawls rather slowly, unhurriedly moving through the muddy territory of death. Lovers of frantic tempos, a barrage of blast beats, and a barrage of furiously biting riffs will likely turn their backs on this creature. In disgust 😉.

Worm, founded in 2012 by the nondescript Fantomslaughter, was initially a one-man black metal project, but over the past decade it has undergone a significant metamorphosis – both stylistically and structurally. The addition of keyboardist Equimanthorn in 2016 coincided with the incorporation of death/doom elements into the band's formula. Worm's second album, Gloomlord, released in 2019, deservedly received high praise – it was 40 minutes of highly engaging doom metal tinged with a touch of black metal darkness, a healthy dose of death, and a hint of the stench of the swamps of their native Florida. Two years later, the band, reinforced by two more musicians – lead guitarist Nihilistic Manifesto and session drummer L. Dusek – returned with their most mature offering to date: Foreverglade.

Death/doom metal is a rather hermetic genre. It would seem that everything there was to say on this topic was presented years ago by My Dying Bride on "Turn Loose The Swans," Anathema on "The Silent Enigma," Katatonia on "Brave Murder Day," Paradise Lost on "Gothic," Amorphis on "Tales From The Thousand Lakes," Cianide on "The Dying Truth," and Asphyx on "The Rack." Yet, year after year, new bands honoring the music of the Old Masters spring up like mushrooms after the rain. What makes this Florida worm stand out from the flood of similar productions that makes me praise it so highly?

A dark, apocalyptic atmosphere, ominous, sepulchral vibrations with dense, fat riffs, plaintive melodies, crushing bass work, and inhuman growling. Yes, all of this is present on Foreverglade, in perfect proportions and superbly produced. But there are also elements that seem out of this world. The band's black metal origins are still resonant, thanks to Fantomslaughter's distinctive screeching vocals, which intertwine perfectly with the low, gut-wrenching sounds typical of death metal. There are black metal fragments, as well as interludes clearly reminiscent of the funeral doom aesthetic of Disembowelment or Evoken. From time to time, the sludgey smell of swampland still manages to emerge from beneath the deadly cover. Eyehategod, anyone? And there's something else. Something that might intrigue, but will likely put some people off – the guitar solos. Most songs on Foreverglade feature at least one solo that could be lifted from the golden age of traditional heavy metal. Sweep-picking on a death/doom album? Yes, yes! (Although I admit I initially had some trouble with it, I got over it 😉).

Phew, quite a mix? It's not in this genre-bending—it could, after all—that the strength of Worm's third album lies. Foreverglade is six brilliantly composed, perfectly arranged, dark, and unsettling tracks with beautiful melodic lines. Six tracks with an overpowering, colossal sound. Six tracks filled with a mysterious atmosphere and vast space, yet so heavy and brutal that you should kneel, all nations. This worm is likable. Maybe even huggable?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on October 26, 2021.

I think what Worm did with Gloomlord made it seem near impossible to outdoor, but to hear Foreverglade and think that it’s not a superior album to Gloomlord would be a lie. The growth displayed by this Floridian sect is amazing, they went from the rotten and stinking Evocations Of The Black Marsh to the graven Gloomlord and now a haunting, keyboard, organ and synth romanticized Foreverglade.

While the genesis of Worm's newfound and unexpected immeasurable support came through their sophomore album released through Iron Bonehead, Fantomslaughter for the most part seems like a pretty chill guy. It’s not very usual that artists this sort interact so openly with their supporters, except for a handful such as more recent to memory Trevor of heavy metal band Haunt. Plus coming from a black metal background its more likely than not that obscurity and seclusion surround the member/s. Fantomslaughter on the other hand surprised me when Kens Death Metal Crypt featured him in an interview where Gloomlord, future recordings and just his metal upbringing in the Floridian scene and general metal topics were discussed. Hence the excitement for the new monolith Foreverglade began to really build stir in motion.

Foreverglade pieces-together everything you love about Gloomlord and adds a colorful and more atmospheric, sprawling template to the primary texture of Worm's music. From Disembowelment to Mystifier, Encoffination, Evoken and My Dying Bride (among many others), Foreverglade delicately prepares a poisonous yet tasty, picturesque embodiment of their phantasmic portrait on their latest funeral/death/black/doom practice.

The foggy, crepuscular opening of title track 'Foreverglade' which also introduces the listener to Worm's haunting sound through the adaptation of keyboards and synth, eloquently sets up the record and wastes no time establishing the primary audial aesthetic of Foreverglade. Onwards, Worm in an even more emboldened demonstration sprinkle beautiful particles across the album with pieces such as the thunderous and epic, yet haunting 'Cloaked In Nightwinds', 'Empire Of The Necromancers' and 'Centuries Of Ooze' that fetch the bulk of the weight needed for developing and progressing the record into a fully shrouded, dimly lit atmosphere, thus being the standout tracks for me. Yet in surprising opposites of Foreverglade's bleak, barren and desolate landscape, you'd discover melodic, keyboard-driven passages that shape the ambience into dreamy auroras nearly sheathing the dense and dark blossoming.

Not abandoning their black metal roots, Worm seamlessly sew into Foreverglade's fabric sharp snarls and shouts that peak on the indelible 'Empire Of The Necromancers' via that build and burst into an incandescent crescendo towards the closing moments. These vocals are contrasted by cavernous growls that feed off hulking power-chords which are satisfying to absorb as they provide a meaty shell to the emote and piercing guitar solos. And about the riffs and solos on Foreverglade, they're like fireflies trapped in a dark pit emitting light, or some sort of ominous glimmer just beneath the froth settling atop a stagnant body of water. You'd hear this truly manifest and take a hold on the centerpiece of Foreverglade, 'Centuries Of Ooze', as Worm's strengths are collected and magnified from the beginning of that song and last all the way to the ceremonial closing that take a plunge into depression via the crestfallen enochian chants almost dragging you into the forbidden territory of Worship.

In addition to Equimanthorn and Fantomslaughter, it appears 2 session musicians under the guises of L.Dusk and Nihilistic Manifesto with the former handling drums and the latter executing addition guitar duties. Compiled with the soothing and sublime synth compositions of Equimanthorn and Fantomslaughter's vocals, guitars, synth, and bass, Foreverglade has proven to be yet another much needed shakeup in the metal underground. Foreverglade is a crushing and sullen yet poignant and saccharine entry in the Worm swamp.

Rating: 10 out of 10