As I get older I get more and more discerning about metal, especially metal that I want to put my name on as a reviewer. I’m known mostly as the old school guy, the retro rock and stoner metal and 80s thrash guy, but there’s a huge piece of my heart that falls for black and death metal. And over the past few years Inherits The Void has been really nailing that certain something I look for in modern black metal. So where I found out that Antoine Scholtes, the main behind that was putting his energies into a new project called Wurmian, and that it would be focused on more death/doom I was instantly intrigued…only to have my colleague Colin over at Nine Circles grab the promo and churn out a very positive review. Well, joke’s on you Colin¹, because now I have Immemorial Shrine on CD which makes it a valid entry for the site and, guess what? I might even like it better than the already stellar work Scholtes is doing in Inherits The Void.

So yeah, Immemorial Shrine is a fantastic metal record, but to explain why I think we have to talk about the label of death doom. Because while there are moments of gazing reflective doom (readily apparent on the title track), the biggest vibe I get is early, classic In Flames, particularly on opener “Aeon Afterglow”. Ably assisted by Solène Virsk on drums, Scholtes runs through the gamut of precise chugging, flowing melody lines, and classic Eurporean melodic death metal structures that are at once instantly recognizable as homage to a very specific style of music while simultaneously modern and forward pushing.

Also this thing is immaculately produced: Scholtes handles all the recording and mixing duties as well, and knows exactly what he’s going for as the guitars lock in on huge massive chords, powerful muted chugging or soaring harmonized leads. Virsk’s drum work is equally impressive, and he knows how to leave enough space so the songs can breathe, another subtle nod to the doom aspects of the sound, though of all the bands you can use as reference the one here that comes to mind is Daylight Dies – I loved how their early albums could be sorrowful and mournful without getting bogged down in lethargic tempos or music cues repeated into infinity. With Inherits The Void Scholtes was already proving how tried and true genre templates can be revitalized with fresh ideas, and with Wurmian he does the same thing, making sure you get a clear view of all the signposts without getting lost in where you’ve been.

“Spires Of Sorrow” is another great example of how you can view a song from so many angles, appreciating different facets of what is happening. There are some great riffs tied together in interesting ways here, and the way the rhythms makes these tiny shifts to rattle your bones only to settle back right before you fall off is incredible. It’s also a great moment to talk about the vocals – something that can otherwise ruin a fantastic song. I can’t pretend that everything is completely decipherable, but Scholtes has a great roar for this kind of music, and whether you view vocals as the delivery mechanism via lyrics for the album’s thematic content or you look at them as just another instrument in a band’s arsenal, you’ll come away impressed here. There’s some impressive tapping on “Yearning Unseen” as the music leans more melodic death doom and Scholtes conjures imagery of desolate forests, grey rains and ash falling, the winds picking up as the music amps in energy.

Ending with two of Immemorial Shrine’s best tracks, the fragile tremolo-picked lines of “Sleeping Giants” and the crushing thrashy attack of “The Overflowing Stream” I might be back to arguing with myself over the parts I like more. I’m a sucker for technicality and some of these more In Flames-inspired riffs have the aggression and head bang-ability I yearn for. But damn if the more melancholic doom elements work like a charm against the more rocking moments. Like I said, Scholtes has a great thing with his work in Inherits The Void.

He just might have a better thing with Wurmian, though. This is hands down one of my favorite metal things to come out so far in 2025.

¹ There no joke; Colin is awesome and not only a great fan and writer when it comes to black metal, but has introduced me to a number of incredible artists working in the genre. Also I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t the one who first told me Scholtes was involved in this project.