Though I never went back to it for repeat listens, I’ll be the first to admit that’s more my fault than that of Worm Ouroboros‘ self-titled Profound Lore debut. Certainly, if occasion put me anywhere near the West Coast while the Bay Area outfit were doing the run of dates outlined by the PR wire below, I’d be there, and I can only recommend you do the same, circumstances permitting. Here’s the info:

Worm Ouroboros will be doing their first short US tour on the West Coast in support of their self-titled debut album.

They play their record release show on May 1st in San Francisco with Laudanum and Dispirit (the new black metal band of John Gossard of Weakling and Asunder). Their West Coast tour goes as follows:

May 1 – San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern w/ Laudanum, Dispirit
May 13 – Eugene, OR @ Lucky’s w/ Rye Wolves, Vivemancer
May 14 – Seattle, WA @ The Comet w/ Rye Wolves, Vultures 2012, Dirtworshipper
May 15 – Bellingham, WA @ Jinx Art Space w/ The Narrows, Lozen
May 16 – Tacoma, WA @ New Frontier w/ Lozen
May 17 – Portland, OR @ Tube w/ Atriarch
May 18 – Portland, OR @ Satyricon w/ Portal and Aldebaran
May 21 – Chico, CA @ Cafe Coda w/ La Fin du Monde
May 22 – Arcata, CA @ The Alibi w/ Speed of Darkness
May 24 – San Francisco, CA @ The Elbo Room

As over the course of this decade San Francisco has become a hotbed of neo-artsy metal, it’s not surprising that the aughts should end with a release like the Profound Lore debut from the trio Worm Ouroboros. It’s been called chamber metal because of its classical influences and operatic vocals, but over these nine mostly extended tracks there are a wide variety of styles and sounds, mostly mellow in execution, but periodically picking up into a post-doom heaviness that’s notable in its grace and flow.

Profound Lore followers will recognize bassist/vocalist Lorraine Rath (also responsible for the album artwork) from Amber Asylum, and joined in Worm Ouroboros by guitarist/vocalist Jessica Way and drummer Justin Green (both World Eater), Rath shines in both her principle roles. Perhaps it’s because of the relative minimalism of what’s happening on the record, but with a song like “Goldeneye,” her bass and Way’s guitar offset each other with a jazzy perfection, feedback toward the end acting as a subdued alarm, while Green adds cymbal accents. This is a chemistry that plays out for most of Worm Ouroboros, across material more straightforward like “Falling Moon” or more ambient like “Brittle Heart.”

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