Hammerheart Records
October 5
I have become somewhat apathetic about writing album reviews in the past year or so, specifically because my varying day to day listening desires have been all over the place to say the least. The style and genres I love and put on one day that have me bouncing off the walls at home may be an absolute trash fest the next! And thus, as my opinion is absolutely subjective and my words on any new release can either be torn to shreds or revered by those reading them, I feel as though honestly, that people will either purchase a new album or ignore it totally as a reviews relevance is totally dependent on their relationship with that band.
This can be infuriatingly frustrating to my mental state, but there are days when the world of extremity is a calming embrace that has me beaming. When I was told by Matt Wilcock, guitarist of one of my favorite bands in the world, Abramelin, at the Carcass show way back in April that he had the new album Sins Of The Father ready to send to me, my pulse quickened at the prospect of hearing new material. Fast-forward about a month, and I finally had said new material ready for me to blast.
And what a moment worth waiting for. Opening track and the first single Conflagration Of The Dreamers (*side note – Conflagration… is a follow-up track from Deadpeak’s – Flesh Furnace) from the opening is just a barrage of pure Abramelin perfection. Vocalist Simon Dower’s voice is in magnificent form. Carried by Matt’s superb riffage and songwriting, Dave Haley’s impeccable drumming and Rob “Wog” Mollica’s punishing bottom end Conflagration Of The Dreamers is a welcome back to the world, where Abramelin of old is swallowed by a rejuvenation of death metal glory. And the breakdown groove at the 50 second mark fucking rules!
The beautifully titled second track, lovingly titled The Gory Hole epitomises the world in which Abramelin’s blood filled desires reign. Groove laden and blast beat fuelled bile emanate from its pores, we hear only two songs in that Abramelin are back better than expected.
Wilcock wrote the album during lockdown without the assistance of founding and long time member Tim Aldridge, so I was curious to hear the new release without the contribution of Tim and how it would affect the overall sound of the band, but any trepidation was forgotten as the trust placed on him and Haley by Dower and Mollica was 110%. I mean Matt is by far Australia’s most prolific metal guitarist without question. And the outcome is pure death gold!
I mean, the second single and title track Sins Of The Father just reeks of Abramelin of old but breathes a band resurrected into a foreboding shredding death metal grinder. Near perfect me thinks, and the album cover – *mwah*.
Track five, Last Rite, brings the pace down for a short intro moment then when it kicks in… Brutal groove and vicious vocals showcase everyone’s ability to be a comprehensible force without lacking the true nature and purpose of Abramelin’s audible and graphically obscene nature.
And for five more songs – and an overall running time of forty-six minutes – at no point of Sins Of The Father’s duration do you even contemplate searching for the remote to fast-forward. It is constantly sonically evolving, changing, keeping us focussed while challenging us. Repeat listens of Sins… never fail to bore my ears.
★★★★ ½
