While I’m nearly 20 years in to loving Death Metal at this point, there’s maybe only a couple dozen bands that I actually get excited about when it comes to new music or seeing live from the genre. The Belgian based Aborted is among the elite of my brutal music listening.
From the doom groove intro “Verderf” into the blast heavy titletrack, it’s evident that we’re here to get pummeled and slaughtered by the best of ’em. That moody mid song breakdown followed by the melodic solo was perfection. Then “Impetus Odi” destroys you in an instant, very reminescent of Cattle Decapitation with some Morbid Angel groovage, which as anyone reading this should know is a compliment.
Please tell me that riff in “Dementophobia” isn’t catchy as hell. There’s a strong punk vibe going on, perhaps a little Death’n’Roll, and it just works. “Verbolgen” was a nice breather from the chaos, which flows into the damn near black metal-esque “Ceremonial Ineptitude”. “Drag Me to Hell” is most certainly a standout, not just on this album but period. I’m purposely not going to mention something about every song, only because you need to let “ManiaCult” play from beginning to end.
Aborted has continued proving that blending just the right amount of groove, technicality, speed, melody, and brutality will always equal perfection. They’ve been on a hell of a high since 2012’s “Global Flatline”, and haven’t slipped even a little. Sven’s vocals and longtime drummer Ken Bedene are both as exceptional as it gets within this genre. Let’s keep this lineup, hopefully??
If you’ve never heard this band, “ManiaCult” is as good as anything to start with. If you do know Aborted, you know what to expect, and I really can’t imagine you being disappointed. So turn it on, and let it fuck you up.
Rating? 4.5/5
Reviewed by Marcus Miller
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