This is why listener-supported radio matters, people! Who would have thought we’d eventually get to see an absolutely epic black metal band like WORM take over KEXP? Yes, the station has hosted plenty of killer acts over the years, we’re not denying that, but come on… WORM?! Look at the theatrics, the massive ’80s metal synth sounds and those ridiculously long songs that sound like two ogres fighting outside a castle surrounded by a moat of blood while a goblin queen watches from her tower.
Damn, we just went full metal there for a second. See what WORM does to us?
The Florida band recently took over KEXP’s renowned In Studio series, delivering a performance that perfectly captures the atmosphere surrounding its latest album, Necropalace. The session arrives following WORM’s sold out Total Possession of America tour and comes at a pretty damn good time, with the band preparing to hit the road across North America with extreme metal legends Cradle of Filth.
WATCH “WORM” LIVE ON KEXP BELOW
WORM has spent years pulling from different corners of extreme metal, and Necropalace brings those influences together with a sound that reaches from symphonic black metal to the technical precision and theatrical excess of classic ’80s metal. The result is something that feels deliberately out of time, like a forgotten record discovered inside some ancient castle where nobody should have been listening to music in the first place.
The band describes Necropalace as existing in its own world, filled with ornate beauty, darkness and isolation. That certainly comes through during the KEXP performance, where the music feels massive enough to swallow the room. It’s bleak and dark as hell…the way we likes it.
And if you haven’t experienced WORM live yet, you have another chance because the band is hitting the road with Cradle of Filth beginning Sept. 29 in San Diego at The Observatory North Park. The North American run continues through Oct. 22 in Brooklyn before WORM heads overseas for a European and U.K. tour with Wolves in the Throne Room. The European run begins Oct. 24 and continues into November, wrapping up Nov. 14 in Oslo.
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For us, though, the KEXP performance is the immediate must watch. There’s something ridiculously satisfying about watching a band this theatrical and unapologetically extreme step into a respected studio setting and absolutely take over the room.
We highly recommend checking out the full performance, then doing yourself a favor and giving Necropalace a proper listen.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some corpse paint to apply and a candle or two to light.
