Lmst

By Dr. A.N. Grier

Finally, two reviews of an Aborted release by those who actually understand and appreciate these Belgian death grinders. Seriously, does anyone around here even know how to Aborted? Nothing to worry about now. Ferox and Grier are here to ensure you never rest for the next forty minutes of your life as Sven and crew tear your asshole up through your taint. For twenty fucking years, Aborted has been making a name for themselves in the brutal grindcore world without ever wavering from their style. Perhaps that’s why some of you idiots don’t like them. Because everything sounds the same to you. But, you’re wrong.1 For damn near their entire existence, Aborted has been consistent in both content and release cadence, always ensuring ole Grier has his fix of horror-themed aggression that causes my brain to implode and my intestines to eject from my rectum.2 3

I know what you’re thinking: “How in the hell does Grier like Aborted?” I know. Everyone has asked it since I chose to lead this charge and give you my opinion on Aborted’s Vault of Horrors. While I do have plenty of issues with grindcore, in general, there’s something about bands like Aborted and Pig Destroyer that speaks to me. I can’t explain it because there are a lot of bands like Aborted that I just loathe. You know, like Dying Fetus.4 But I can spin an Aborted record at any time and walk away pleased and eternally exhausted at the same time. And, as one would expect, Vault of Horrors has no shortage of earhole assault and relentless tendencies. Per usual, there are plenty of guest appearances on this new release, but the band went all in, inviting a different friend to scream and rasp on every song of Vault of Horrors. This adds a touch of vocal diversity to the barrage of nightmare-inducing songs that vary from two to nearly six minutes. Buckle in, motherfuckers.

As with most Aborted records, “Dreadbringer” sets the mood with a brooding atmosphere that explodes in a constant barrage of guitars and drums. When the signature vocals arrive, a new riff charges in to wreck your fucking neck. At the midpoint, sinister sustains push to the surface, leading the song into a build that combines spurts of tech death guitar work with melodic leads and soloing. Another monstrous piece that uses building atmospheres and ferocious guitar work is “The Golgothan.” The haunting keys in the introduction push this track into sympho-death territories before some intricate, squealing guitars pierce your inner ear canal and initiate vicious headbanging. The song continues to build before coming to a screeching halt. Then, the band activates ape-shit mode as the guest vocals of Hal Microutsicos (Engulf and Blasphemous) push farther to the front than any other track. As the solos swirl around the riffs, the atmosphere continues to climb, concluding the song in a gigantic way.

As massive as these two tracks are, the biggest is closer “Malevolent Haze.” A heavenly attack of blastbeats gets this thing rolling before the real steamrolling begins. The barrage is relentless as the guitars and drums lay to waste any remaining energy you might have. The only relief comes when the song slows to knee-deep mud, dragging your pathetic corpse through the muck. But before it can get any uglier, shocking clean guitars appear, producing a beautiful and haunting atmosphere. Then, a scream cracks the sky as the melodic build intensifies. As it grows, the vocals become more and more pained and the emotion is as thick as congealed blood. It’s a fantastic song and a killer way to close the album. But of all the tracks, “Death Cult” is the most addictive. Unlike the other songs mentioned, this one strips out the building atmosphere and focuses on a hooking chorus and stellar vocal performance. Utilizing the vocal prowess of Despised Icon’s Alexandre Erian, the gnarly “death cuuuuuuuult” chorus has a special power and adds a perfect emphasis to the crushing riffage.

Of these ten tracks, the only one that doesn’t stick with me is “Naturom Demonto.” But, not because it’s bland or lifeless. After close to thirty minutes of relentless pummeling, it does little to push past its predecessors and does little to set up the massive closing track. But even that can’t hurt the outcome of Vault of Horrors. Neither does the compressed master manage to upset my listening experience. This is the kind of absolute chaos that you would say benefits from the lack of dynamics because it elevates the horror. After comparing the staying power of Vault of Horrors to the band’s other offerings, this new record might be their best since 2016’s Retrogore—providing just enough diversity in the tracklist to keep me coming back again and again. I’m not quite sure where Vault of Horrors will sit on my end-of-the-year list, but it’ll definitely be there.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: abortedmetal.bandcamp.com | goremageddon.be | facebook.com/abortedofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 15th, 2024

#2024 #40 #Aborted #BelgianMetal #Blasphemous #DeathMetal #DespisedIcon #DyingFetus #Engulf #Gindcore #Mar24 #NuclearBlastRecords #PigDestroyer #Review #Reviews #VaultOfHorrors

Engulf – The Dying Planet Weeps Review

By Kenstrosity

New year, new sponge, same gig. What a better way to kick off 2024 than with some brutal, slightly proggy, slightly technical death metal! How serendipitous it was, then, that Engulf finally dropped their debut LP The Dying Planet Weeps upon my eager lap. Complete with very nice artwork and a remarkably rich and warm production, The Dying Planet Weeps aims to make a mockery of my scoring average as early in the year as it possibly can. Read on to find out if it does indeed embarrass me with all of its brutalizing riches.

Metallum suggests that Engulf’s closest relative is Morbid Angel. Given what I’ve heard so far of both acts, I see the resemblance. However, the first companions that come to mind for me are Atrae Bilis, Eximperitus, Hath, a touch of Gorguts, and a twist of Asphyx. With such heavy hitters as compatriots, two things become clear. Firstly, Engulf set themselves up with gargantuan shoes to fill, risking it all to make a name for themselves next to far more established bands with high pedigree. Secondly, The Dying Planet Weeps will undoubtedly appeal to almost anyone who likes death metal. Raunchy, slithering, and unnervingly catchy, mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Hal Microutsicos’ riffs and multifaceted rhythms cut deep and lodge themselves inside the brain like a botfly. While those riffs gestate in my cranium, Hal’s retching roars and rasps, highly reminiscent of Martin Van Drunen’s style of explusion, create a delightfully decipherable treatise on environmental devastation. At a tight and muscular thirty-six minutes, The Dying Planet Weeps practically begs for repeat spins. Meanwhile, the songwriting’s unstoppable momentum ensures that the album needn’t have begged, for repeat spins are inevitable.

With “Withered Suns Collapse,” Engulf do something rarified in metal: integrate any and all atmospheric introductions into the opener proper. Thankfully, this one is short and effective, leading you to a blistering, bouncy riff vaguely reminiscent of Abysmal Torment‘s “The Misanthrope.” A great way to kick a record into gear, indeed, but the song evolves further. By introducing harmonized variations of the song’s main theme, Hal proves himself a versatile songwriter who understands the critical importance of layering and detailing in this kind of music. This strategy carries over into follow-up tracks “Bellows of the Aether,” “The Nefarious Hive,” and the Atrae Bilis-writes-for-Hath closer proper “Earthbore.” However, Hal’s skill as a songwriter and performer reaches its peak in album highlights “Ominous Grandeur” and “Lunar Scourge.” These two songs, coming it at the record’s midpoint, match the regal grandeur of Eximperitus and pair it with Hath’s ferocious melodicism. At the same time, there’s a certain measure of introspection and a subtle sadness to these songs that add interesting and affecting dynamics to the experience, allowing the record to leave a lasting mark after it comes to a close.

How the album comes to a close, interestingly, unveils its first and most confusing misfire. Why Engulf decided to separate the closing title track as its own instrumental is beyond me, as the piece is so seamlessly tied to its companion “Earthbore” musically that I’ve never once registered when the shift in track listing occurs. It’s a nonsensical decision that adds nothing of substance to the record. Aside from that bizarre, albeit small, choice, The Dying Planet Weeps truly only suffers when compared to its influences. No bad songs exist here, but some of the less compelling tracks like “The Nefarious Hive” and “Plagued Oblivion” aren’t particularly memorable, and even the stronger pieces lack distinction from their influences. There are too many riffs, patterns, and songwriting pathways in here that sound derivative of older works by longer-lived bands (note the way “The Nefarious Hive” follows almost the exact blueprint used in several tracks on Atrae Bilis’s Apexapien). In those sections, I lose myself to fond memories of other acts’ material instead of fully investing my time and energy embedded within Engulf’s.

Nonetheless, Hal has much to be proud of in The Dying Planet Weeps. As a debut, the professionalism with which it is produced, performed, and written is nothing short of admirable. However, Hal still needs to find his own voice to better inform his undeniable talent. Once he finds that unique voice, Engulf could very quickly become a standout in a field of already excellent death metal creators. Good luck, Hal!

Rating: Good!
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: engulfdm.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/engulfdm
Releases Worldwide: January 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #AbysmalTorment #AmericanMetal #AtraeBilis #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Engulf #EverlastingSpewRecords #Eximperitus #Gorguts #Hath #Jan24 #MorbidAngel #ProgressiveDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheDyingPlanetWeeps