The Finnish duo Cardinal Noire is back with an album frankly more accomplished than Deluge, released in 2018. With Nightmare Worms, they offer a clever mix of Skinny Puppy and Ministry from the ’90s, with a layer of experimental noise. The group falls within the Vancouver electro-industrial school, and is certain to delight adepts of this musical style. But sometimes you’re closer to the copy than to the inspiration. Nevertheless the band, not without originality in its sound exploration, manages to surprise with its compositions and the use of contrasts. For example, experiments with ambient, where their previous albums were devoid of it. This proves to be a real added value, creating a kind of appreciable alternation between their abrasive and energetic, even violent, side, and the atmospheric side, as dense as it is dark, all perfectly balanced. If you are fond of Skinny Puppy’s Last Rights and Too Dark Park, this album is sure to earn your approval. Brap on!
