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Abhorrence [FIN] – Megalohydrothalassophobic [EP]

abhorrence [fin] – megalohydrothalassophobic [ep]

Info

Abhorrence were originally formed in about 1989, and then decided to hang up the towel so to speak shortly after releasing their first demo “Vulgar Necrolatry”, they also released a 7” simply named “Abhorrence” in 1991. Their history is there to be found, and can be a tad confusing so please forgive me if I miss a point or two. Why did they decide to give the game away after such a stellar debut? Your guess is as good as mine. After talking to a few in the know they suggest that it may have been because the Death Metal scene was becoming a little too trendy for their tastes, and that was that. Guitarist Tomi Koivusaari then went on to join Amorphis, and the rest is history. Amorphis went on to scale the heights of greatness, and Abhorrence had a compilation put out and a live album, both of which are well worthy of your time, especially the compilation as it has just about everything you need to know about these guys on it. Nuff said about the past.

So, why did they decide to grace us with their exceptional presence again now! Again, feel free to enlighten me, but that is what not we are here to discuss. What we ARE here to discuss is their new release, and let me take a breath here before I say it, “Megalohydrothalassophobic”. Whew, that’s one fucking large word. The only translation I can come up with is some sort of really great fear of large bodies of water, or some such, and that for now will have to do.

Surprise surprise, the intro “Intro: The Mesh” has a bit of a sinister watery theme about it, Evil speaks to you with large tentacles and horrifying wisdom before the voice fades and “Anthem for the Anthropocene” floods your senses upon the waves of majestic riffs that have surely eaten away at the face of mighty cliffs for ages eternal. Yes folks, this is some heavy shit, but not to the point of losing any clarity. Clear as the finest of streams, the guitars wash around you as they would do in heaven if such a place existed, lulling you into the belief that this is going to be an easy ride. Let he who is so foolish fall to his demise, do not reach out and try to save him, for you are about to endure more and need all of your strength.

The water is rising, and the crushing weight of “The Four Billion Year Dream” is now upon you. Massive riffs of great intensity build slowly as the great gods chant, and then the illusion of calm water breaks as they decide to throw you out of calmer waters into the very maelstrom of the fury itself. Pounding drums and rumbling undercurrents of bass become the sea upon which you have been cast, yes indeed there are moments where you can stick your head out and grasp a small amount of oxygen, but this has become far more intense to say the very least.  The old god, or gods, are here again to finally stamp their claim upon us all, and they are doing a fucking great job of it.

“Hyperobject Beneath The waves” pretty much explains itself. It’s fucking huge, you cannot even begin to fathom it’s immensity, and it’s destiny is to bring about your demise. Not a quick death though mind you, the voices need to tell you their story, and you will listen for you feel you have but no choice. Held against your own will you are not, you are free to leave at any time, but those voices, so compelling, keep you enthralled. Is this the end? No.

Jarring you back to your senses comes the harshness of “The End Has Already Happened”, and fuck me what an end it must have been. We have spoken of crushing and immensity and other words that carry such weight, and this one seems to make them all fade into the realms of nonsense. A soundscape of such utter proportion that it doesn’t matter if the end has already occured, this is it’s swansong, and such glory does it give!

Welcome back Abhorrence, for whatever reasons you decided to leave us, all is forgiven, and we now down before your utter mightiness! Long may you cast your foulness upon us.  (Andrew)

After a dark introduction, the classic Finnish sound of Abhorrence kicks in and marks a killer return of one of the most legendary death metal bands from the north that helped to develop the extreme death metal sound the Scandinavians are known for. This is the first studio release in about 27 years. A lot happened in the (metal) world since then. Which path did they choose for their return? Except the drums, we have the classic old line up here shredding classic Death Metal with a portion of Death`n Roll elements which give the overall sound a big amount of groovy slithering feel. Everything is presented with an organic production, more on the dry side of the spectrum and with a cleaner, more audible sound than the older recordings. No worries, the production fits well and is perfect for this age and the material proposed. Abhorrence are less grindy, but as told before, they are more groove oriented. The backbeats and blasts as well as D-beats aren`t missing. They just seemed to focus on a more headbanging sound (which I think is a good choice), with parts that remind me of some older Sadistic Intent tracks, or in terms of melodic aspect, Mordicus. The breaks are well set and there are plenty of drumfills and variation as well as killer riffing which are well accompanied by a low end bass and fine leads from a golden era. The vocals are your classic death metal grunts, Abhorrence like, frozen in time and excellent in execution. Some morbid twin guitar part (more standalone riffing by both) intertwined are top notch Death Metal that reminds me a lot of Disma. Nothing new, but to a certain extend sounding surprisingly fresh. Fantastic comeback and recommended for Death Metal fans in general. (DPF)

Abhorrence [FIN]

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