Death comes closer to Abyssal Rift.
Having just signed with Transcending Obscurity Records, the Ohio-based trio led by Matt Auxier (guitar/vocals/keyboards), Mike Sliclen (bass/vocals), and Brandon Smith (drums/vocals) unveils its second album, Relics of Great Ash.
The band kicks off without a shred of gentleness with Consummate Design, the opening track that fully embraces its darkness and ferocity through thick riffs and complex patterns driven by a devastating blast beat and cavernous roars that complete the chaotic picture. The band gives us no respite, introducing screeching leads before a passage that is certainly slower but far more oppressive, shifting the song’s momentum which, after a moment of anxiety, leads into title track Relics of Great Ash that is deeply rooted in Doom while keeping a constant unhealthy aggression. There are, however, a few accelerations that punctuate this dark progression toward a moment of limbo, but the sound flares up again, resuming its technical complexity before moving on to The Enlightenment (There Was Never Will), where we’re hit head-on by the theatrical influences that guide us through this block of abrasive heaviness. Old School Death roots come through in the building intensity, but the track is fairly short, giving way to The Death of God, which also features that fierce energy that has us headbanging more or less frantically, while also incorporating a few dark touches. The finale is also fairly slow, only regaining momentum for that shrill solo before leading into Surrealistic Visions, which picks up more or less where its predecessor left off, accelerating in turn until it reaches cruising speed disrupted by successive waves of violence that skillfully unfold, traversing every nuance of Death Metal. The band even treats us to a moment infused with Death Prog before passing the baton to Sphere of Perpetuity, the final track, which is rooted in a mysterious approach, letting a few notes resonate as slowness reigns, yet doesn’t hesitate to return at times to distortion to emphasize its raw power before bringing the album to a close with one last burst of violence.
While Relics of Great Ash is indeed a Death Metal album, it doesn’t limit itself to a single subgenre to make an impact! Abyssal Rift doesn’t hesitate to shift from gritty Doom to convoluted Prog to create a truly dark and unpredictable abyss.
80/100