Like The Black Dahlia Murder? Well, then you will like Abysmal, cuz it's definitely tBDM. I won't waste time pontificating about the obvious. But for those have been living under a rock for the past 10+ years, this group plays a brand of melodic death metal highly focused on catchy riffs, intense vocals, and breakneck speed. As a heavy metalcore listener in high school, the debut album Unhallowed was a nice, digestible sequeway into death metal and other heavier things. As such, these are another group of gents that hold a special place in my heart.
Now keep that in mind when looking at the score above. I particularly hold Ritual and Nocturnal in high regards. Those are the high 9's. Deflorate and Unhallowed are also excellent and fall into the 8 range. Given that, I really do like Abysmal, but much like Everblack, it just didn't quite stack up to my sky high expectations.
But enough boring ranking and discography analysis, let's look at the high points of the album at hand. "Receipt" is a killer opening track and one of the best the album has to offer. The opening, gothic string work is a nice touch. These subtle orchestral inclusions make a nice contribution to another personal favorite, "The Fog." This song also showcases what feels like an increased focus on neo-classical riffing with some Windirish-sounding hooks. "Stygiophobic" (the fear of hell) uncharacteristically slows things down, but not at the loss of brutality. But the real treat for me, the track that I just can't get enough of, is "Vlad, Son of the Dragon." Not only is this just Dethklok-level awesome over-the-top metal, but the gang vocal part at the beginning gets me pumped every time. It's such a brief, simple inclusion, but it makes all the difference.
So yeah, longtime fan, I pre-ordered this f@3ker. Like the latest Lamb of God, it's a fun album from a great group of musicians that can't ever truly let me down. On a related note, if it weren't for The Black Dahlia Murder, this site might not exist. Not only was it another building block to my extreme metal tastes, but Trevor, bro, if you are reading; it was your heartfelt comments/rant about why fans buying albums is important to the band that pulled me away from The Pirate Bay and inspired me to encourage others to do the same. I have since gone back and bought albums I downloaded over the years (some new, some used...I'm not made of money) and have obtained a legit copy of every release that interested me this year. Big thanks to the bands and labels for making that a reality as well. So Trevor, this one's for you.
P.S. your new mane is astounding.
Abysmal hits stores Sept 18th. You can order a digital copy via bandcamp and check out the first 3 singles right now, or you can get a CD version pretty much anywhere for $3-5 more. I personally went with FYE during a Labor Day promotion.