Aborted : "Vault of Horrors"

 Belgium's death metal maniacs are back. Their new album has some or some band guesting on each song. The opening track which is a Hyperspeed fest, that fans of this brand of death metal should enjoy, features, Shadow of Intent's Ben and Chris. So extra growls and shredding. The sweep-picked fret fury is more melodic than expected. I normally do not like technical over-produced death metal and prefer mind darker and more organic, but the first song is so good at what it does that it wins me over. this occurrence is not uncommon in most forms of extreme metal, where it is so heavy it bowls your ever with intensity and does not give you time to stop and analyze if they can write a decent song. 

Then the plight of this kind of thing is further exploited as after being punched by the initial blast of sound, you are numbed out to the assault that follows on the second song, and everything begins to sound the same. Fleshgod Apocalypse's vocalist lending his growl to the song does not change matters. What does help is when the band grooves more on "Brotherhood of Sleep" Johnny from Angelmaker, lends his growls to this one, which is effective, as they vary a bit from just gutturals. The vocalist from Despised Icon, snarls a bit on "Death Cult" which benefits from more thoughtful songwriting. Former Abigail Williams drummer Ken Bedene who has been sitting behind the kit for these guys since 2012, continues to bring the good and is the hardest-working member of this band.    

Cryptopsy's growler joins them for "Hellbound" which is a relentless speed fest that blasts by in a rabid blur. I know nuance is not what this kind of death metal is known for, but a dash might do them some good. If you are into guitar solos this one is worth paying attention to. Ingested's Jason Evans gets brutal for the more grindcore-like explosion that is "Insect Politics". Hal from Engulf appears in "The Golgothan". If you like what goes down here it might be worth checking out Engulf's new album as well. Lyrically things are supposed to be based on horror movies., and while there are speculations as to what song aligns with what movies, I have not heard the official word from the band so I am not going to speculate. 

Oliver from Archspire guests on "The Shape of Hate". The song is so rapid-fire it does not leave any t time to grab on to any riff. The vocal performance works but also feels rushed. Another banger if guitar solos are your main focus. By this point in the album, the fast playing has exhausted  The growler from Signs of the Swarm, is doing what he does. I liked the album Signs of the Swarm released last year, so I am not opposed to this sort of thing. The last song finds Ricky Hoover of Ov Sulphur, bringing yet another growl to the party. It has been an interesting experiment trying to distinguish these varied growls and hear who is showing up to the mic with something new, though it tends to be rather uniform. I will give this one a 7.5, as it all kinds sounds the same, some songs are more effective but the shift in dynamics is pretty marginal,. Chances are if you are into this sort of thing you just want it to be in your face, but I am not going to suggest rounding it up, as even if this sound is your jam, I am not sure what fresh ideas are being involved from a songwriting experience. At this point when I see someone wearing an Aborted shirt I am going to assume they just like generic modern death metal. 

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Engulf : "the Dying Planet Weeps"

This is Engul's first full-length. The solo project of Hal Microutsicos, who also plays in Blasphemous. The opening track benefits from a dissonant throb, rather than following the course most death metal takes in pummelling you with a head-first assault. My only trepidation going into this album would be the fact drums are programmed, rather than having a human behind the kit. However, technology is now at a place for better or for worse, where it is hard to pick this out unless your ears focus on the drums, and then the double bass is a little sterile in its precision. In this more technical style of death metal, many drummers use triggers to achieve the rapid-fire double kick feel so it is forgivable. 

Kevin Muller from Alluvial lends his snarl to the second song. But I really would not be able to pick his growl out from a line-up, it reminds me of Steve Tucker. The vocals are not the only Morbid Angel-like element as the pitch-bended squeals Trey is known for also scream out of the dense chugging. Though if you are playing death metal you can not be faulted for having Morbid Angel as an influence, in fact, it's more of an asset. Sven from Aborted proves to have a more distinct rasp to his voice, as it is obvious someone else has stepped up to the mic when his voice appears on "The Nefarious Hive". The project steers clear of using apparent formulas in their songwriting, even when delving into sonic areas that are fatal to the flesh. 

Mood and atmosphere prove to be one of Hal's strengths, as these provide a wonderful counterpoint to the massive crushing riffage that dominates the song's landscape on "Ominous Grandeur". The riffs uncoil with a serpentine slither, as the melodies coat the proceedings in darkness. Fans of 90s death metal will appreciate the direction this album goes in, even though the sounds used to craft these songs are not attempts to recapture the feel of the era in any manner of retro homage.  By the time we come to "Lunar Scourage" things are being dialed in with a more overbearing ear for perfection, that finds the instrumentation in such a tight lockstep that some of the mood is lost in the more machine-like feel this execution brings. 

Pat Bonvin from Near Death Condition contributes a guitar solo to "Plagued Oblivion". As far as these kinds of guitar embellishments go, it finds the most effective blend of chaos and melody, but more importantly steers clear of masturbatory excess by serving the song. "Earthbore" erupts from a more thoughtful intro. Enrico from Hideous Divinity lends his growl to the song, which proves him to have a voice that is more faceless than other guttural utterances unleashed on this album so far. This is a common problem for many death metal vocalists, who adhere too closely to the expectations of a genre, where vocals are all too often an obligatory afterthought, rather than a vital element to the song.  

The title track that closes the album allows the guitars to linger long enough for a mood to be established rather than rushing to steamroller you with their chugs. They linger so much that the dynamic range of the song is somewhat limited to hovering around melodic theme, to create what feels more like an outro than a song that measures up to the others.  I will give this one a 9 they used mood to hook me into the song, and tapped into a darker place than most death metal of this kind. A step up for Everlasting Spew who is releasing this beast.  

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