Abysmal Oceans is a living proof that Metal has no borders.
Founded in the Maldives, the band comprising Unholy One (bass), Occultus Monolith (guitar) and Usham Demoriel (vocals) called on Krzysztof Klingbein (drums, Totenmesse, ex-Aggressor, live for Belphegor, Vader…) to create their first EP, Ravenous Abyss.
From the second Dominion, the first composition, hits you, you can tell the band is influenced by the Swedish scene. The heady leads fit in perfectly with the fast-paced rhythm and furious vociferations that make certain passages very majestic, creating a contrast with the more aggressive parts that feeds the band’s macabre brand also found on Ascension, where the vocal parts are initially more disquieting. The addition of cavernous backing vocals creates a palpable sense of oppression with which the band plays before returning to more Old School touches, but the track is quite short, quickly giving way to Warmarch where the riffs become more raw and virulent, recreating an easily identifiable coldness. The musicians know perfectly how to play with their roots, in particular those anchored in bands like Dark Funeral, which give them that hazy aspect and authorize haunting leads. The EP closes with Nightmares, an initially relatively heavy but ultimately haunting composition in which lead guitar plays an essential role in accompanying our progress into the darkness, completed on the break by that dull bell.
Despite the fact that they are separated by almost 8,000 kilometers, Abysmal Oceans can easily be linked to the Swedish Black Metal scene. Its influences are undeniable, but they enable the band to make Ravenous Abyss a highly enjoyable EP.
95/100