Worm Ouroboros

Album Review

Worm Ouroboros (the name refers to a mythological snake that encircles the world, eating its own tail) are a San Francisco-based trio composed of bassist/flutist/vocalist Lorraine Rath, guitarist/vocalist Jessica Way, and drummer Justin Green. The music they make is avant-garde psychedelic metal that incorporates influences from folk, classical, and doom, as well as the work of female artists and female-led groups including Jarboe and Amber Asylum. It rarely gets truly heavy, save in the latter half of nine-plus-minute tracks like "Winter," "Riverbed," and "Pearls" — most of the time, the throbbing bass underpins delicate guitar melodies and ultra-clean vocals. But the pretty stuff is plenty pretty enough to be worthwhile on its own, not just as the lead-in to the rockin' stuff. Listeners will undoubtedly find it quite pleasurable to drift along with the gentle female voices and guitar like water dripping from the roof of a chilly yet surprisingly well-lit cave, without tapping an angry foot and muttering, "Will they just step on the distortion pedal already?!?" If your favorite Black Sabbath song is "Planet Caravan," wow, is this ever your album.