Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Aborted
Label: Century Media
Released: 2007
Death metal is more than just music of insane speed, inhuman vocals, crushing drums and lyrics about exhuming and desecrating corpses. Need proof? I couldn’t hand you better proof than the one sitting right in front of you – the fifth album from Belgian death metal champions Aborted (Slaughter & Apparatus is also their debut for Century Media).
Since their bloody gore-grind beginnings, Aborted have stepped way over the barricades of death metal’s sharply drawn genre lines, chasing an evolution of their sound while staying true to the core elements of the genre. And now the time has come for that evolution to hit its peak.
The new record serves up uncompromising brutality, but builds on it with top-notch, high-quality musicianship, melodic guitars, fascinating rhythmic twists and material that goes beyond the standards of brutal sounds. With their third album Goremageddon: The Saw And The Done (2003), Aborted showed for the first time in their career a departure from straight-up brutal death metal and hinted at a path in the style of the legendary Carcass, one of the founders of grindcore. On this year’s album’s predecessor, The Archaic Abattoir (2006), they pushed that path even further, and with Slaughter & Apparatus they’ve almost certainly become the heirs to the cult band Carcass. Jeff Walker, vocalist and bassist of that legendary outfit, also appears as a guest on the record, so Aborted symbolically take over the baton that Carcass started. I thought their last album, The Archaic Abattoir, was strong and superbly produced, but Slaughter & Apparatus climbs one step higher. The sound is stacked and massive, and the drums flat-out wreck your speakers. How could they not, with the Tasmanian devil himself, David Haley, behind the kit – the go-to drummer for Psycroptic, Australia’s biggest death metal export. Wild, furious blast beats, unbelievable transitions and interesting breakdowns are truly impressive.
Stylistically, the vocals are what we’re used to from Aborted. Sven and Sebastian bark like their lives depend on it. But the vocal back-and-forth between Sven de Caluwe and Sebastien Tuvi, who pass the ball between a traditionally deep, animalistic grind/death metal growl and a more intelligible “hardcore” scream, adds to the fantastic dynamics of all eleven tracks on the record. Besides Jeff Walker, Jacob Bredahl also chips in with a guest vocal performance, and Henrik Jacobsen joins on guitar (both from Hatesphere).
The backbone of this record, at least in my opinion, is the fantastic guitar work. The outstanding riffs elevate the songs while serving each one individually, never stepping out of the record’s groove. What really stands out are the exceptional, technically demanding solos. The real treat is the excellent, melodic twin leads and guitar duels. The majestic, technically flawless melodic leads in the opening track The Chondrin Enigma and the closing Underneath Rorulent Soil even bring back memories of the late Chuck Schuldiner. And Carnage Basked In Its Ebullience surprises with atmospheric keyboards that weave nicely into the band’s evil sound, while The Foul Nucleus Of Resurrection attacks with old-school drive. Avenious builds a dark atmosphere with keyboards, growls from hell and crazed guitars. The twin guitar assault that takes over the track after two minutes is indescribable! The nod to Carcass is also easy to hear in Ingenuity In Genocide, where a melodic, harmonic solo recalls the allure of the cult Heartwork/Swansong-era Carcass. A Methodical Overture, The Spaying Seance and Archetype, meanwhile, hit so hard it’s almost funny. The record closes with Underneath Rorulent Soil, whose intro/outro combo of menacing atmosphere is perfect for a finale.
Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture is a stunning, fresh and mighty album that has everything it needs to land among the better records of this year – innovative, memorable structures, a raw yet very warm production (Tue Madsen sat in the producer’s chair) and a sense of timelessness that’s not exactly common in death metal.
If you dare take a trip to the morgue with Aborted as your hosts, it’s definitely a trip you won’t forget anytime soon…
Lineup
Sven De Caluwe – vocals
Sebastien Tuvi – guitar, vocals
Matty Dupont – guitar
Peter Goamaere – bass
David Hales – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Jeff Walker – vocals (ex-Carcass)
Jacob Bredahl – vocals (Hatesphere)
Henrik Jacobsen – guitar (Hatesphere)
Production
Tue Madsen
Tracklist
1. The Chondrin Enigma
2. A Methodical Overture
3. Avenious
4. The Spaying Seance
5. And Carnage Basked in Its Ebullience
6. The Foul Nucleus of Resurrection
7. Archetype
8. Ingenuity in Genocide
9. Odious Emanation
10. Prolific Murder Contrivance
11. Underneath Rorulent Soil
Running time: 42:49
