When I started this experiment, I had no idea what the response would look like. I was simply mining through bandcamp and various other sites for groups to reach out to, testing the waters. I still do that, but now much of the search is brought right to my front door. I cannot state thanks enough to the talented groups blowing up my inbox from all over the world. More importantly, I have been given a pipeline directly to sounds of which I have never heard, and that may very well define the next generation of metal. Such is the case for my most recent contributor, Black Harvest.
Another DM group not content to ape their contemporaries, this is some unique-sounding brutality. A brand of technical blackened death that incorporates a surprising ear for melody. The closest comparison might be early Extol, though Abject feels much more aggressive. Fast, hard; but with some surprising dips into almost alternative territory. When "A Form of Blindness" took that first turn into unexpected rock progressions, I was thoroughly invested.
Check out "Confined" for drums that sound like 100 machine guns shooting across the trenches. As one reloads, another picks up, each firing at a different rate. The bass tone is like a Panzer rolling over collapsing steel. It's perfection. Meanwhile "The Beggar's Song" dials up the black metal with stunning atmospheric guitar melodies, piano, and choral synths to break up grindier tracks like "Aftermath." The maniacal math of the latter is "43% Burnt" meets Gorgoroth.
Speaking of which, vocals primarily fit into those respective genres. Black Harvest definitely arrives with more of a shriek than a grunt. I mean, this ain't "Brutal" Harvest after all. Even so, there are times where the howls are layered with deep growls as on "Holy Blood." The end result is extremely menacing and further showcases a knack for keen construction. Between this and the highly fluid navigation of circuitous, technical gauntlets, Abject is a very impressive piece of work.
As each song flows seamlessly into the next, the horizon continues to broaden into an open landscape of influences. Arrangements consistently engage as they twist and turn from moment to moment. From the climactic tremolos of "Echo in Deadspace" to the acoustic guitars and clean singing of "Your Words are Made of Gold," Abject is here to object you to equal parts punishment and penance. It's a steal for only $4 on bandcamp. Make it yours today.