ABHORIA
ABHORIA “Depths”
By Dr. Abner Mality
ABHORIA serves up a rather tasty dish with “Depths”...a slice of metal blackened and crispy around the edges, spiced with flavors of death metal and even progressive elements. To continue the food analogy (which is making me hungry), the end result is spicy but not overly so, crunchy on the outside and savory on the inside. Not quite a 3 star Michelin dish, but tasty nonetheless.
I am pleasantly surprised by “Depths”. A comparison to GOATWHORE would not be out of place, but the band has its own sound and is no mere imitation. Songs are fairly compact but “Within Our Dominion” and “Winter’s Embrace” have enough room to play with melody and diverse elements. The latter track in particular has some great hooks in it. ABHORIA can also go for the throat with aggression, as on “The Inexorable Earth” and “The Foundling”. Deep death grunts and thick guitar tones bring in a death metal element. Other cuts like “The Well” and “Ghost In the Smoke” hew a bit closer to the black metal side, with trollish vocals to match.
It’s not all 100% on the mark...”They Hunt At Night” was rather flat...but they hit enough of the target to be worthwhile. The production is also spot on. A flavorful addition to the American black metal menu!