Melodic Black Metal outfit Wormwood have, since their inception in Stockholm in 2014, released four full-length albums, one EP, and a live release, each one building on their reputation as a distinct-sounding and innovative force within the Extreme Metal scene. Å builds further on that reputation.
Wormwood – Å
Release Date: 7 August 2026
Words: Jools Green
My first thoughts on Å are that it is one of the most powerful and emotionally stirring listens I have had in a long time. It left me feeling emotionally ripped in two, but in a good way. It may only be two tracks spanning fifteen minutes, but what fifteen minutes it is.
Soundwise, they continue to meld elements of Black Metal with Scandinavian melancholy, folk influences, and cinematic storytelling. There is also a blues rock feel in there too, and all these elements are seamlessly mixed and melded to create yet another innovative and massively engaging offering.
Lyrically, Å is “a concept EP built around an idea that has been growing for some time, but never quite belonged on any previous – or upcoming – full-length album,” guitarist Tobias Rydsheim explains. “It is a contemporary portrayal told through two filthy stories, inspired by the more marginalised circles of Stockholm.”
First track Yra|Extas is in Swedish, but the lyrical translation provided shows that, as with many of their previous works, it is unnerving to the point of almost harrowing yet is also cleverly slightly ambiguous. However, if you watch the video at the end of this review, it greatly clarifies the picture.
Musically, it bursts forth with a huge wave of black riffing, dropping back to very well phrased riffs followed by a bleak, haunting melody that reflects the pain and torment within the lyrics and combined together they emotionally hit hard.
These elements form the repeating waves along with quieter, more reflective passages that pretty much make up this dramatically powerful, vocally acidic piece, which holds your attention fully throughout. The closing haunting leadwork is just sublime. It is a superb piece.
The second track, Purposeless Geometry, features from the offset Ingvild Rydsheim on choir vocals, whose high, child-sounding delivery puts such an unnerving edge and adds superb contrast to this mid-paced haunting beast of a track.
On the whole, it is a fairly straightforward piece. But the delivery and phrasing are everything, and it impacts hard like its predecessor. Just before midway the leadwork reflects the melodic aspect of the piece and amplifies them. A dramatic drop and shift midway through becomes very sparse, eerie and haunting.
Then you get the most sublime blues-rock lead work that emerges organically out of the quiet, gradually building up into something much blacker with the return of the acidic vocals. Of course, the track would not be finished without a return of those superbly haunting choir vocals.
The new EP Å is mixed and mastered by acclaimed producer Sverker Widgren (Wing Studios, Stockholm) and is out today via Black Lodge Records.
Whether you are an old fan or a new listener, you cannot fail to be utterly enthralled by Å.
It is a superb listen, which will be available as a CD, vinyl, or digital download. For more details, visit Wormwood at Bandcamp.
