Review Summary: Aversionist goes by like a very pleasant, yet short breeze.
Depths of Hatred is the new name that goes around Montreal these days. In 2009, five individuals with the hunger for powerful, head crushing Death metal united to embark on a journey that may well give us a lot to talk about during the upcoming years. In 2012, their debut release is unleashed.
Ok, straight to the point: It’s fast, it’s mean and it does not spare your neck a bit. Blast beats, breakdowns, a whole lot of technical stuff – Repeat. Man… Let me settle down a bit, ahem.
Aversionist is just like that though. A hard n’ heavy Deathcore album put together with some technical content, suffering from an unreasonable fast consumption, 22 minutes to be precise. Not that this is particularly negative. These 22 minutes flow in a way that makes you feel like you actually heard a full length album in the end – Not necessarily meaning that it feels like a complete, rewarding experience, with a full amount of creativity and freshness. It mostly feels like a linear Deathcore release, with the prime goal of making your head snap away from your upper body. Now, from the very beginning it does that just right. Fair is to state that below the run of the mill Deathcore presentation, you still get a more than decent drum input, a somewhat unique vocal display, a good bass presence (the clear evidence of a good production and mixing, by the way) and guitars that make it all come together with a sense of purpose that you hardly find anymore in the genre.
Animus comes opening up for
Flesh Prison, the first full track, and the beginning of your descent into hell, in which blast beats rule widely, with a big sense of significance put into the third guitar in a good technical effort.
Downfall and
Archaic Ascendency come next, bringing the whole Deathcore nature of the band to surface.
Downfall carries a simple presentation, with a perceivable structure and flow. However, it does end with the first “big” breakdown of
Aversionist, opening up for its’ sister track, which has arguably the best drum display of the whole album. Yet again, a timid but nonetheless good effort on the guitars. After something one may consider an interlude, comes the second half of the show.
Deathsphere, the track with the first of two sweep picking solos in the album, finishing with that wonderful blast beat. But in order to get real, take tracks like
Ministry of Deceit or
Revocation as good examples of amazing Deathcore, despite its’ minimalist routine.
Ministry of Deceit, speaking of which, is the longest track and perhaps the best. It is on said track where the band fully displays their capabilities, as all the aspects of the song fit well within their Brutal Deathcore arrangement. And of course, sweep picking number two comes in a classy way, during the closing breakdown.
Spawn of Synthesis comes as the most Metalcore oriented track, displaying the genre’s riffs, and respective breakdowns in their most upfront way. And by now you have heard something beyond the chugging and the blast beats, so there you go.
Revocation, which is the ultimate effort, show just how nifty these guys can be, putting together the fastest, most objective pieces in the album altogether. Oh, and the special guest microphone abuser, Elliot Desgagnés, that makes it just in time to give
Aversionist a nice change of pace, and finish.
It could have been lengthier, it could have been more diverse, it could have had that clichéd interlude that actually slows down a Deathcore album, I could have more to talk about beyond those two sweep picking sections. Still, it’s one great experience for any Deathcore junkie, and it will not fall short to you if this review makes you want to take a peek at the album. Grasping the approach of
Aversionist is not much of a challenge, as the band walks the same line for 22 minutes. Still, there is something there that not everyone will grasp. An atmosphere (if you will) that emanates from their sound, giving them a somewhat unique essence. Don’t come looking for technical prowess, you will not find it by the barrelful here. If you’re into Deathcore, in the end you will most likely find yourself loving something about
Aversionist, otherwise, you will probably just pass it. I personally find this album a very solid, intense and heartfelt debut release.
