Sure, there have been some pretty intense bands - some really pissed off ones that make you want to jump and be just as pissed off as them. Yeah, you know, recalls to youthful rebellion and all - the glory days when nothing really made sense and you wanted to hit it. Though, mostly, I experience this out of obscure little record labels lurking in the very vast corners of the internet - not through labels like Victory Records. Somehow, out of their catalogue of very talented and equally brutal bands came the most pissed off band I've heard in my entire history as a Metal Journalist: RINGWORM.

At its base, RINGWORM's "Hammer of The Witch" is somewhat simple musically. It keeps with the rhythm, favoring speed over technicality (thankfully) and throws some extremely good, but also simple, solos in there. The bass playing (provided by Ed Stephens), notably, is some of the best I've heard this year - going a little beyond the fantastic simplicity of the good deal of Black Metal influence in the earlier tracks. "Hammer of The Witch" though, also sort of evades specific definition as a genre. The blistering pace and sub-genre mixing really shows that there was quite a bit of creativity and little care towards definition going into the album. I can certainly get behind that and I'm sure just about anyone who likes Metal can as well.

However, the base and influences are all great and all but the real meat of RINGWORM is James Bulloch's insanely pissed off vocals. There is absolutely no mystery behind why they refer to him as the "Human Furnace" as, quite literally, Bulloch is full of unfathomable rage. The man is like Dez Farfara (Of COAL CHAMBER and DEVILDRIVER fame) if he was simultaneously pounding back 40s and Steroids. After 6 albums, he somehow still has the fire - and continuously brings everything up several notches. Getting rid of Bulloch would be insanely detrimental to RINGWORM.

Well, if you're pissed off - I know I am - get yourself a copy of "Hammer of the Witch". If, by some chance, it doesn't kick your ass by completion - consider yourself lucky and worthy of conquering the nearest moshpit in your vicinity.