Deathly duo: albums from Static Abyss and Assumption reviewed
Two death-doom releases are examined under a blood-stained microscope
Static Abyss – ‘Labyrinth Of Veins’
Line-up:
Greg Wilkinson – guitars/bass
Chris Reifert – drums/vocals
‘Labyrinth of Veins’ is the debut offering from the duo of Chris Reifert and Greg Wilkinson. Whilst many will already be familiar with their names via work in bands such as death metal legends Autopsy and Death, this album could also serve as a great opener for newcomers to the DM scene.
Whilst being considered a ‘death-doom’ release, IMO that’s very much a simplified view; there’s more to offer here, with enough variation to please fans of various extreme genres. Opening tracks ‘Feasting On Eyes’ and ‘Nothing Left To Rot’ go straight for the throat, but both also have a sense of groove and the sort of crunchy riffs that bring to mind ‘Wolverine Blues’-era Entombed. Shortest track ‘You Are What You Kill’ might appeal to those with grindcore leanings, with a chrous riff that has an urgency that wouldn’t be out of place on a Napalm Death album. The whole album is steeped in a foreboding atmosphere, at times almost sounding like the deranged rantings and manifesto of a horror movie villain, particularly during ‘Mandatory Cannibalism’. It’s also on that track, the title track and ‘Jawbone Ritual’ that their doomy side comes to the fore, slowing things down to a stalker-like pace (the two lyric videos released for these are included here), along with album closer ‘Clawing To the Top Of The Dead’. Littered throughout the album, you’ll also find Death-esque moments that should please long-time fans of Reifert’s work.
Varied in execution but never disjointed, atmospheric but with the crunch and groove of a 90s DM album, this is a record that should please death metal bands across the spectrum. Here’s hoping that ‘Labyrinth of Veins’ isn’t just a one-off. Available now digitally from https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/labyrinth-of-veins, or on CD and vinyl at https://burningshed.com/store/peaceville/artists-a-z-peaceville/peaceville_store_AZ_statisabyss.
For fans of: Autopsy, Entombed, Morbid Angel, Death
Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/staticabyss/
https://www.facebook.com/PeacevilleRecords
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Assumption – ‘Hadean Tides’
Line-up:
Giorgio Trombino (vocals/guitars/synth)
David Lucido (drums/percussion)
Matija Dolinar (guitar)
Claudio Troise (bass)
The second death-doom release to get reviewed here is ‘Hadean Tides’, the second album from Italian metal quartet Assumption. Despite coming from a more guttural place than the other album reviewed here, it’s no less forward-thinking.
Rooted more in the funeral-doom sound, this is a more brooding, slow-moving proposition. But, this release could also be regarded as an album of two-halves, with sides ‘A’ and ‘B’ each having something different to offer. The first three tracks, opening with ‘Oration’, would perhaps appeal more to those who lean more towards death metal than doom, going from a mid-paced classic DM stomp to the slower, creeping feel of ‘Daughters Of The Lotus’.
It’s on track four though that Assumption’s experimental side starts to come in, with ‘Breath Of The Dedalus’, a slow-grinding, ambient droning piece that could soundtrack a slow descent to Hell. Whilst ‘Liquescent Hours’ returns things to normal programming, it’s on the following track that we see another left-field turn – ‘Triptych’ begins with a spooky spoken intro, with a dark folk-ish feel and vocal delivery that’s reminiscent of Einsturzende Neubaten, before gradually launching back into heavier territory.
Album closer and longest track ‘Black Trees Waving’ almost feels like it’s split into chapters; opening with a brooding, creeping riff and guttural delivery, it’s around the half-way mark that the vocals become a clean but sinister croon, before ending on a looping riff finish.
Ambitious and with nothing off-limits, it’ll be interesting to see where Assumption go from here. ‘Hadean Tides’ is available now digitally and on CD from https://everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hadean-tides, tape and vinyl from https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/hadean-tides, or CD and tape from the band’s Bandcamp at https://assumption.bandcamp.com/album/hadean-tides.
For fans of: Rannoch, My Dying Bride, The Drowning
Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/assumptiondoom
https://www.facebook.com/everlastingspew
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