Melodies from the hacksaw severing your spinal chord...
To me, Aborted is everything you may have come to expect from a brutal death metal band plus a little extra to make them something more special than just an array of guttural roars backed by down tuned guitars and blast beats. Aborted uses all instruments to full potential creating music that is mature yet still extremely brutal. The vocals I think make them stand out from the rest of the death metal crowd. Instead of the usual stream of boring grunts that sounds like the vocalist is having intestinal problems, Sven takes it a little further. High pitch shrieks and flat out metal screams are definitely present. Sven, as well as the other members adds a new dimension to the music not normally seen within the genre. The bass I think is the only downfall. I can only recall one or two instances when the bass is distinctly heard doing anything besides playing guitar hugging rhythms. There is an occasional break for the bass to do its thing, but overall I think Fre didn't get enough exposure.
The drums of course are just as insane as one could hope from death metal. The blast beats and double kicking are exceptional - hell, they just kick ***. Frank plays ridiculously fast throughout the entire album, but doesn't limit himself. Blast beats are dominant, but Frank oftentimes uses different beats to mix things up and keep the rhythms from becoming too repetitive. Spot on hammering of the percussive anvils. And finally the guitar work - oh, how I love the guitar playing. Now, this is death metal, so you should be able to assume what the majority of the guitars sound like normally. First off, they don't sound as low pitch as other death bands - meaning the music is more defined than chugging riffs that sound no more than a rumble. Thijs and Bart also go beyond a mass of random power chords. Lead guitar work dominates in all its forms - but don't get me wrong, power chords are used tastefully to deliver a throat hacking onslaught of metal fused death. The solos I believe are also a highlight of this band. If you're looking for insane Cryptopsy type death shredding, you've come to the wrong place. Aborted solos sound very well written, and show that the musicians have a background in traditional metal. That's right, the solos are lengthy and display more than the ability to make randomly crazy shreds and definitely resemble traditional metal guitar work, which I will go more into depth on later on.
Aborted is more than just choppy brutal riffs with the occasional break. These guys incorporate a little thing called melody, fused with insane brutality, to create a sound that you can really headbang to. The track Meticulous Invagination begins with and goes back to smooth sections that aren't too over the top but still very heavy - the music almost flows perfectly with expert timing. These amazing parts are scattered throughout the album and provide a breath of fresh air for the music to shine over the heaviness. Sanguine Verses (...of Extirpation) has something similar. While blast beats are still present, the music itself is toned down for a more calm and flowing sound. But for the extreme sound with no bull***, just pure ***ing brutal metal, we need Clinical Colostomy.
I'm sorry to go back to this topic, but I love the soloing on this album. Try the track Sanguine Verses (...of Extirpation) to see what I'm talking about. Lengthy solos that have structure. Not just thirty seconds of super fast shredding, but stuff that displays some form of feeling as well as talent. They do sound like some type of older metal (possibly thrash solos) and accent the music beautifully. I urge all of you to check out the solo in Ornaments Derision - at times it is, dare I say emotional?
This band is one of my favorite death metal bands. I've told you why, now it's your turn to listen and decide for yourself. Vocals that are diverse enough to make several atmospheres in one song all the while artfully backed by the much needed brutality. Guitar work sophisticated enough to grind into your skull and then turn around and play an amazing solo. The bass and drums pound consistently - not at all repetitive but artfully played just as they are needed to make Goremageddon a metal massacre worthy of spilling blood from the firstborn. Any and all death heads must hear this; I'm sure there are those who hate it but so far I haven't met any.
Recommended tracks:
All of them, but if you really want me to be specific:
Meticulous Invagination
Sanguine Verses (...of Extirpation)
Clinical Colostomy
Final Rating - 4.5/5
