Review Summary: under new leadership, this once stale brutal death metal band forcefully earns their way to the top of the heap
I didn't quite realize just how much I enjoyed Abominable Putridity's latest album until I found myself humming the breakdown to the title track "The Anomalies of Artificial Origin" at work the other day. In an unbeatable combination of juicy slam riffs and half-time drums, "breakdowns" may be a taboo word in the metal world nowadays but this Russian brutal death metal group proves that the oft overused technique can still be used to devastating effect. Without taking away their probably arduous efforts to imbue
The Anomalies of Artificial Origin with as much slamming brutality as (in)humanly possible, this album is extremely catchy, a hummable affair built on a foundation of furious grooves, technical interludes and astoundingly low vocals.
Compared to their abysmal debut
In The End of Existence, it almost seems as if the Abominable Putridity of 2012 is a completely different band than the lame brutal death act that formed in 2003. A great deal of this improvement can be owed to the acquisition of famed ex-Disgorge vocalist Matti Way; acting as the agent that finally ignited the band's explosive potential, his presence undoubtedly played a huge part in the group's tremendous growth from their lackluster debut to
The Anomalies... With a new vocalist in tow,
The Anomalies of Artificial Origin is a fine display of Abominable Putridity's latent capabilities, allowing their most intense performance to date to create a sophomore album that simply put, slays the competition.
Where previous efforts saw Abominable Putridity throwing breakdowns like a casual football toss on lazy Sunday afternoon,
The Anomalies... propels the band into the major leagues; thanks to an all around tighter, more focused performance, it's hard not to bob your head to the infectiously catchy breakdowns of songs like "Letting Them Fall" and the aforementioned title track where the band's progression becomes most evident. Playing to the strengths of Way and his intelligible gurgle, his rapid-fire only serves to accentuate the rhythmic battering, creating an irresistible back and forth between music and vocals. While not every song is as successful ("A Massacre In The North"), there is still nothing on the record that will have you dumbfounded in boredom, an impressive feat for a band that uses breakdowns as frequently as Abominable Putridity.
They may play a huge role in their sound but breakdowns are far from the only ace up the group's sleeve;
The Anomalies is full of great and meaty riffage, with tracks like "The Last Communion" not only revisiting a more traditional death metal style but also showing off the band's technical side, a more modern concession that's tastefully implemented, appearing in short bursts and never crossing that fine line between appropriate and wank-ridden pretension. Tightly packing riffs in songs like sardines in a tin can, despite the ever-changing nature of the album's eight tracks, the band keeps it cohesive while also making sure no single segment aimlessly lingers to the point of detraction.
Even if brutal death metal was never your thing, there may still be some pleasure to be found in
The Anomalies of Artificial Origin; an extremely fun outing,
The Anomalies is an album made for death metal fans, emphasizing everything they love and amplifying it grotesque proportions. The riffs, drums and vocals have all been honed to near perfection, creating an album full of sci-fi based anthems that will bring the alien mosh warrior right out of you. Standing as proof that practice breeds progress, Abominable Putridity have gone from zeros to heroes, crushing expectations, beating the sophomore slump and becoming a band worthy of high praise. As the newest addition to the list of bands to keep your eyes on, if Abominable Putridity was capable of such drastic improvement this time around, it's exciting to think of what may go on to achieve next.
