Abyssalis evolves.
Following their first EP, the project led by Josh Steverson (guitar), Mac Smith (vocals, Eschaton, Apogean), Jack Blackburn (drums, Unaligned, Killitorous), and Cole Daniels (bass, Fleshbore, Unaligned) has signed with Transcending Obscurity Records and unveiled Adaptation, their first album.
The adventure begins with Adaptation, the eponymous track that wastes no time in crushing us with a massive sound somewhere between Technical Death’s brutality and fairly jerky and massive Deathcore parts. The mix works perfectly, taking the best of both styles to give its violence every chance to make us bang our heads, solo included, and it’s the same for Indomitable, which stays in this super-powerful vein and only breaks to let the leads bring in piercing tones. The break marks a change in atmosphere, which becomes a little more unhealthy and heavy before finally giving way to the infernal Pandemonium, which resumes the heaviness, sometimes swapping out the intricate harmonics for simpler but super-powerful parts that will easily incite the most uncontrolled crowd movements. The track is fairly short, and it soon gives way to Senescence, which offers a fairly old-school approach while remaining divided between the two worlds, even daring to add a touch of dissonance at times, as well as a moment of hesitation before a final assault that leads to Valholl and its raw power, expressed through waves of killer riffs launched at full speed.
In addition to these five new compositions, the band has included its first EP, and so we continue with the “pause” offered by the disturbing introduction to Arrival, followed by a new wave of pure rage that shows that the band is staying true to its artistic direction by lining up fast-paced, intricate riffs. A brief moment of hesitation allows us to endure the final charge towards Attitude of Gratitude, where the mix reaches its peak, in my opinion, both in terms of complexity and virulence, and the transition to Synonymous is very natural, despite incorporating some hazy touches on the chorus. They are almost imperceptible on first listen, but they give the song that flavor found in the solo, while Shine welcomes us with a crystalline sound that leads to a new explosion of brutality. The clear central passage allows us to catch our breath before the massive final mosh part, then Ethos takes its place to blow us away, adding sharp harmonics to the passages to lacerate us almost continuously. The album ends with The Hills Have Eyes, which remains in a similar dynamic and links the massive parts with an assumed technicality while Mac screams both abyssal growls and furious roars.
While offering only five additional tracks may seem a little short, Abyssalis had the good sense to supplement Adaptation with the six previous tracks, and it’s clear that the quality remains very high. Having missed out on the EP, I’m now a big fan of their carefully crafted violence!
90/100