This is the comeback record that should have been. After the intensely lukewarm Absu, I was pretty sure that Absu no longer had what it takes. Obviously offended, Abzu kicked my ass. It told me it only let me live so I could tell everyone that it is coming, and no one will be spared.
If you haven’t heard Tara, go do so now…I’ll wait. Good, you’re back. Awesome, am I right? These guys are the only American BM band that really does it right for me. The intense thrashing speed, insane Dillinger-esque guitar riffs, and staccato BM vocals go together like deadly nightshade and hemlock. And the drums? Forget about it.
Abzu is like Tara with slightly heightened production and some maturation in a few of the elements. Though I was saddened with the last album’s change in roster, this time around it was a necessity. Again, we have a new guitar player, but he freakin’ shreds. I found the riffs on Absu to range from pretty lackluster to just plain annoying. Vis Crom, on the other hand, could easily be Shaftiel in a skin suit. Speculation on skin-walking aside; the frenetic, calculated, and oddly melodic guitar work here rivals “Tara” in every way.
The vocals carry the same approach as always, but I feel the delivery has become fuller and stronger. I’m not sure if it was a change in the mix or if Proscriptor has just better honed his shriek technique (har har). Speaking of Proscriptor, how is the drumming? Fans of the group know that this question is a fairly needless ones. To the newly enlisted, these drums will break your mind. I compared the guitars to The Dillinger Escape Plan, and the same math/technical comparison must to be made for the percussion as well. Are there blastbeats? Well, yeah, but Proscriptor is simply one of the best in shifting from pattern to pattern seamlessly and never relying on typical BM tropes.
So, if you like Absu, and in particular you loved Tara (which is required black metal listening imo), you will likely dig this as well. At a breezy 35 minutes, I’d be hard set to say I didn’t think any of the tracks weren’t amazing. But to name a few toppers: the opening “Earth Ripper,” my favorite “Ontologically, It Became Time & Space,” and the lengthy, multichaptered prog opus of “A Song for Ea.” Let’s hope Apsu can bring the same level of intensity.