Live Review: Wormrot, Morne & Harrowed at The Underworld, Camden, London (30/06/24)

It’s a night of boundary-pushing music, indefinable heaviness, and genre-bending intensity. Singaporean grindcore legends Wormrot are in London, they have Morne and Harrowed with them, and The Underworld is full of fans ready to lose their minds to some seriously heavy music.

First though, it’s the job of Kent-based hardcore punk and metal band Harrowed to warm the crowd up, and they do it masterfully. Showcasing an ear-drum busting style of speed and heaviness that incorporates elements of hardcore, punk, grind, D-beat, and so much more. From the moment they take to the stage, heads are being severely banged and the pits have started already. It’s not quite chaos, that comes later, but for the first band on stage, it’s pretty freaking wild.

Which is testament to Harrowed and the noise they make.

Speaking of noise though, it’s Morne and the Boston, Massachusetts band are on the form of their lives tonight. Having the tough task of having to follow such a high-energy band as Harrowed and coming before the Wormrot carnage. All with music that demands to not be curtailed by any genre placement. Is it post metal? Is it atmospheric metal? Is it sludge? Doom? Depressive death metal? Does it really matter?

What everyone can agree on is that Morne are a very special band, and their latest album, ‘Engraved with Pain’ is one of the best things they’ve released to date.

It’s been a while since they’ve been to London (2011 according to vocalist/guitarist Miłosz Gassan) and London has missed them greatly. Now, while Morne’s music isn’t particularly energetic, what it offers is a chance to be mesmerised. A chance to find yourself hypnotised, methodically head banging to thick riffing, crunching percussion, emphatic melodies, and powerful vocals. They may not have the pits of Harrowed or Wormrot, but they have every single person in the crowd’s rapt attention.

It’s a show-stealing performance, sounding near-perfect, and delivering heavy harmonisation that is downright emotional. Few words are spoken, but it’s fine, as Morne do all their talking through their music and every single person in the venue is listening. Let’s hope it’s not another decade plus until we see them play here again.

What was already pretty busy, becomes packed, as Wormrot arrive and the swell in the crowd makes it clear this is the band many are here for. Which does explain the absolute carnage that follows. We’re not just talking pits; we’re talking most the Underworld floor taken up by a pit that never seems to end. We’re talking stage divers and crowd surfers, one whom is Gabriel Dubko himself, doing main vocals on this tour.

He’s having the best time, but he’s not alone as drummer Vijesh is grinning from ear to ear, additional vocalist Weish is taking the intensity in her stride, and while Rasyid might be looking very focused, his guitar playing is severe and impactful. Putting it simply, Wormrot are having a blast, and so is everyone in the crowd.

It might be grindcore, but as everyone knows, there is so much more to Wormrot, and like all the bands tonight, they defy genres and stand out as a wholly unique band in the metal scene. That they are so capable of performing the carnage they make on record, live, is exceptionally impressive and no-one leaves the venue not feeling utterly exhausted. You really can’t ask for anymore. Three fantastic bands performing out of their skins to a crowd well and truly up for ensuring that the band’s leave knowing that they have to come back soon and create even more chaos.