ABORTED

"Vault of Horrors" (Nuclear Blast; 2024)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

Aborted have been creating death metal since 1995, so it should come as no surprise that, nearly thirty years later, they're still delivering crushing walls of devastating sound and are probably unmatched by anyone else in the death metal genre.

"Vault of Horrors" starts off with a 30-second synthwave intro and that's pretty much the only relief you're going to get throughout the remaining ten tracks and 40 minutes of skull-crushing sound. Every song here is buoyed with barbed-wire guitar, punishing drum blasts, pound-you-over-the-head bass and vocals that simply had to leave the vocalist's throat bloody. By the time you reach the final track, "Malevolent Haze," you'll be covered in sweat, gasping for breath and feeling as though somebody put a half dozen padlocks in a pillowcase and unmercifully beat you with it.

But that's what you were looking for, right? That's what Aborted does better than anybody else.

For more information, check out http://www.goremageddon.be

"The Archaic Abattoir" (Olympic; 2005)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

Aborted is a technically crushing metal troupe hailing from Belgium that combine the wares of Swedish and death metal in a very refreshing fashion. On "The Archaic Abattoir," tracks like "Threading on Vermillion Deception" showcase the quintet's acumen to grind out tightly woven yet punishing death metal, while managing to throw some Carcass-like metal dexterity on tracks like "The Inertia" for some special seasoning. 

These guys display some kick-ass hooks, too, as songs like "A Cold Logistic Slaughter" and the manically paced "Hecatomb" blow your ears out while simultaneously overcoming you with maddeningly powerful grooves. 

Armed with a mighty low end assault and the kind of contained insanity that bands like The Haunted, Entombed, and Cannibal Corpse wield, this 10-track metal extravaganza is a must have for every extreme metal fan. 

For more information, check out http://www.goremageddon.be

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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