Review Summary: Mind-blowing throughout the whole record, Denouement sounds extremely depressing and showcases great musicianship - all you could hope for in a black/death metal album.
4 of 5 thought this review was well writtenThink about something in your life that you loved and couldn’t get rid of, without knowing the exact reasons as to why this is; something that doesn’t have any particular striking feature. Take a bathroom for example: whether it’s to take a ***, brush your teeth or take a shower, you couldn’t live without it. Or food: do you like the taste, the smell or the look of it? You like it as a whole and appreciate it for its completeness.
That's the case with Abyssal's debut album
Denouement, an atmospheric blackened death metal band. Mind-blowing throughout the whole record, which clocks in at 50 minutes, it showcases excellent musicianship and vocals – don’t get me wrong, you will not understand a word of what he says, but these raw-sounding growls do add aggressiveness. Guitars sound great, and while riffs are not always extremely technical and might sound repetitive after a while, they give the album a depressing and sad tone. “When Paradigms Supplant Gods”, using an outstanding combination of blast-beats and melodic guitars, is definitely one of the top tracks on “Denouement”. As for “Swansong of a Dying Race”, a 10-minute epic, it is an absolutely amazing song mainly because of its second half sounding so depressing and sad. However, there is an overly obvious lack of human touch when it comes to the drums, which are programmed. Also, like previously mentioned, the vocals aren’t understandable to the slightest, and this may be a bummer for some. Nevertheless,
Denouement remains an exceptional debut by a promising band, and the overall feel is what makes this album what it is: great.
