In 1993, Cleveland's Ringworm released their debut record, The Promise, whose influence would really be felt once the 2000s came about. When metalcore became the sound on the mid-00s thanks to Uranium and the rebirth of Headbangers Ball, bands that didn't rip off At the Gates took a lot from Ringworm and their NYHC-meets-thrash sound. They've influenced so many bands on the Baltimore metal/hardcore label A389 that the label may as well be called The House Ringworm Built. While bands like D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter, and S.O.D. served in breaking down the boundaries between punk and metal, Ringworm brought that dedication into the 90s onward. Given their legacy, they haven't been that prolific. Their second album, Birth is Pain, came out in 2001, after the band had broken up for some time. Hammer of the Witch, their sixth overall and first for Relapse, shows the quintet remaining as consistent as ever.
Most Ringworm songs are have the same ingredients: thrashy riffs, breakdowns, and a total absence of pretension. They're all to the point, much like the harshness of living in an Ohio town where the factory isn't ever coming back. Still, there's a certain precision that these songs have— no coincidence, since guitarists John Comprix and Matt Sorg have also played in Charred Walls of the Damned (who feature Richard Christy from The Howard Stern Show and formerly of Iced Earth and Death) and former Judas Priest vocalist Ripper Owens' group Beyond Fear. Most hardcore bands don't have solo passages that sound like they could be lifted from K.K. Downing's playbook, and this is especially true on “Psychic Vampire” and “I Recommend Amputation". Even if they're tight, they're not stiff. Ringworm's hardcore side comes out most on “Exit Life", the shortest song on the record at 1:44. There's no break in the intensity, especially in the blastbeats that follow the intro.
Like other NYHC influenced groups, Ringworm place emphasis on the breakdown. “One of Us Is Going to Die” in particular will make you visualize a battle scene at This is Hardcore or Chaos in Tejas, limbs flying without actually being torn off. “Leave Your Skin at the Door” has a breakdown that is a bit doomier, but no less ripe for mayhem. You can see where Power Trip got some of their cues from. While Ringworm have remained steady over the years, their one true constant is vocalist James “Human Furnace” Bulloch, the group's sole original member. Even given the group's break in the late 90s, it's astonishing he's held on his voice this long. Most new jack Southern Lord hardcore dudes try to sound mad; Bulloch actually is pissed. You can hear him spit at the end of “We'll Always Have The End", a small bit of personality on the record.
Witch is a solid record throughout, but it is one of those records that feels like a collection of songs—good songs!—rather than an actual album. It doesn't have an appropriate bookend, an appropriate closing. The record just kind of... stops. However, that might not matter when you're practicing freelance dentistry with a stage and a floor at a Ringworm show.
