UNDERRATED: Ringworm

In another edition of Underrated, we'll be looking at a thrash/punk/metalcore act that has not only been reliant on consistently heavy releases, but delivers a hostile, pissed-off energy that only their main vocalist can deliver with his recognizable screams. The band I've described is Cleveland, Ohio's Ringworm. Led by vocalist James "Human Furnace" Bulloch, the band's sound evolved into a complex mix of speed, intensity, aggression and anger. Taking roots and inspiration from thrash legends like Slayer and Metallica, crossover acts like Cryptic Slaughter and Agnostic Front, to punk bands like Black Flag and Bad Brains, all while adding the burgeoning sound of 2000's metalcore. We will look at the band's discography and try to figure out why too many people sleep on this Ohio act and why the band deserves more attention.

Ringworm released their debut album The Promise in 1993. From the opening moments of “Numb/Blind To Death,” the band delivers a foundation of hardcore punk, driving bass and drums. Teasing the listener with so many start/stop moments of thrash, punk and hardcore. Mostly leaning into the hardcore/crossover sound in the veins of Madball, early Neurosis, D.R.I. and Agnostic Front, the album shows the band was onto something with their high-octane performance, high-energy live shows and the unmitigated aggression in the band's vocalist. 

Following the release and touring cycle for The Promise, the band wouldn't deliver a new studio album for eight years, releasing their Birth is Pain album in 2001, the group's first on Victory Records. With much more polished production, the songs had more presence, power and weight with every drum strike. Bulloch's vocals have more reverb and hostility in them with the amplification of his vocals, especially on the album's title track, “Dollar Whore” and “Endless Cycles.” Though still leaning more towards the hardcore punk sound of their debut, the band began to shift to a heavier tone with this record. Moments of thrash metal and metalcore begin gain prominence, showing the band was heading into a more unhinged, darker and overall heavier tone going forward. 

After the success of Birth is Pain,, the band wouldn't keep fans waiting quite as long for a follow-up, dropping Justice Replaced by Revenge in 2005. With the opening title track, the band went full-on crossover thrash. Vocals are more front-and-center, while guitars still maintain the hardcore punk aesthetic but are now infused with grindcore drum playing and death metal chugging. Intertwined with heavy, metalcore style breakdowns you'd hear from acts like Unearth and Bleeding Through. Every song has that perfect combination of jumping in the pit, while also banging your head to match the drumming. “Day of Truth”, “House of Hell”, and “God Eat God” still show the band's roots in punk, but the record cemented that the band were going to be the crossover thrash band they would become. 

In 2007, Ringworm would return with The Ninth Circle: The Venomous Grand Design. From the drum roll into Bulloch kicking into the verses section on “The Cage,” the song is just an instant circle-pit starter. “Suicidal Visions,” “Never Was” and “Razor's Line” were also standout tracks, showcasing the impressive guitar playing of Matt Sorg. 

Now on the Relapse Records roster, the band would release Hammer of The Witch in 2014. With production and volume cranked to eleven, the band's intensity and sonic punch went through the wall with this album. “Dawn of Decay” and “Bleed” deliver an unbridled one-two punch of power, pissed-off energy and violence. Along with “Psychic Vampire” and “I Recommend Amputation,” the album was an over 40-minute onslaught of pure hatred and dark imagery from the album's cover. Showcasing the band held nothing back and left everything in the studio with this album. Hammer of The Witch would also be the rise of the band's popularity, with the album reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 21 on the Billboard Hard Rock albums chart. All of the perseverance and determination the band put forth up to this point was starting to pay off and they no doubt faced some pressure to match that same success with their next album. 

Two years later, the band would follow Hammer of The Witch with their next album, Snake Church. The band picked up where they left off with its predecessor and just magnified the aggression. With new drummer Ryan Steigerwald and guitarist Mark Witherspoon, the new blood breathed new life into the band and continued the rage-inducing impact that Ringworm delivered with their last album. “Brotherhood of The Midnight Sun” has a cool punk/hardcore bass breakdown section, and there's nice guitar solo to be found on “The Black Light of A Living Ghost.” The entire outing finds the band again pairing the metal and punk origins of their roots, while also continuing to go for the throat with the hostile and jugular-stabbing violence that permeates their current metallic hardcore sound. 

After consistent touring, the band took a while longer with their next album, releasing Death Becomes My Voice in 2019. Another meat-and-potatoes message with instant acceleration and maximum intensity, the album was another constant barrage of aggression and violence. “Carnivores” has a great opening bass/drum combo that fades into an unmatched scream by Bulloch and the riff machines of Sorg and Witherspoon. “Acquiesce” plays with chugging and heavy breakdowns throughout the entire song, while “Dead To Me” takes a lot of inspiration and influence from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal sound promulgated by acts like Lamb of God. 

The band's most recent album was 2023's Seeing Through Fire, their first on new label home Nuclear Blast. Upon its release, the album met or exceeded expectations from critics (sites like Blabbermouth, This Day in Metal, Metal Insider and Ghost Cult Magazine gave the album high praise). The album exists as a 30-minute beatdown of an album, heaving you bleeding, gasping for air and then trying to get back up for round 2 as you hit replay. Lead single “No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy” showed Bulloch's vocals being the most harsh, aggressive and amplified to date. With new and lone guitarist Mike Lare debuting on the album, his guitar skills are showcased on songs like “Death Hoax” and “House of Flies.”

Ringworm is a band that needs to get the attention they deserve for their style and take on the metallic hardcore genre. With an unmatched intensity and unique vocalist, the band never gave a damn how many records they sold or whether they played in front of thousands or hundreds or dozens. Nine albums over thirty years and still standing and heavy as all hell, Ringworm are an act that truly took the idea of metallic hardcore and all but perfected it, nailing that combination of thrash/crossover, punk and melodic death metal in the guitars and solos. Brash, unfiltered, antagonistic and combative, Ringworm lived up to that sound and is a band that truly merits as much recognition as acts like Code Orange and Knocked Loose.