While their reband some years ago gave us so few hope for new songs, Abhorrence come back to draw attention with Megalohydrothalassophobic, their new EP.
Created in FInland in 1989 by Jussi “Juice” Ahlroth (bass), Kalle Mattsson (guitar), Tomi Koivusaari (guitar, also in Amorphis), Jukka Kolehmainen (vocals) and Kimmo Heikkinen (drums) after Rebirth’s split, they decided to play an impressive and powerful Death Metal. But the band splits a year after, with two demos, even if one was never officially released. The band still released a post-mortem split and EP, but the year 2012 marks their comeback, with a compilation of their work. They play some shows with Rainer Tuomikanto (drums, Ajattara, Causemos, ex-Shining) including one at the Tuska Open Air 2013 that will be released as a live album. In 2016, they hire Waltteri Väyrynen on drums (Paradise Lost, Vallenfyre, ex-Tyr) and finally release their new EP. You’re not ready, whatever you think.
The record sparingly begins with Intro: The Mesh, a sample which is both disruptive and intriguing. A worrying voice comes to talk to us, explaining the background of the tidal wave we’re about to sustain, then leaves for Anthem Of The Anthropocene. Connoisseurs will instantly recognize the band’s sound signature, while the newcomers will just receive the hurricane in the face. Whether this is Jukka’s voice or guitar harmonics, everything is made to knock the listener for a long moment. The bass’ coming, screaming and bold, just contributes to this Old School ambience that I love. A bit too quick in my opinion, the track ends, and The Four Billion Year Dream begins. Slower, quieter, but also more mesmerizing, this track will make you headbang, by will of force, thanks to ageless but perfectly-sounding riffs, due to this mix part-Old School, part-Modern. Melodic but bitter harmonics will only cease until the maritime and introductive sample of Hyperobject Beneath The Waves will start. And it’s a new unfurling wave that hits us in full force, with its ruthless rhythmic that sometimes steal to Black Metal, its powerful drums and crunching bass. Riffs turn into a quieter but as worrying break that raise some Lovecraft-inspired ambience before leaving to a more impressive rhythm part. The last track, The End Has Already Happened starts with shrilling riffs before going to a warlike rhythm that quickly on a Death Metal that share its sound with unsane Black Metal under a blast beat rain. Fury will calms down on the end for an outro that will resume the beginning riff before progressively disappearing, just like a swimmer on a lake before being devoured with a pain scream.
Whether Megalohydrothalassophobic was released thirty years ago, it would be amongst the main records of a rich style without a doubt. But its recent release “only” announces Abhorrence’s great come back from a genre that they discovered years ago and that they now dominate with a rare perfection. I already and impatiently wait for a full-length.
90/100