Dark Crusade

When I was taking my first steps into the world of extreme metal one band that was always mentioned among the more household names (Marduk, Kreator, Cannibal Corpse etc) and was Ireland's own grind unit - Abaddon Incarnate.

These Irish darlings have been kicking up a stink in the extreme metal scene since 1994 and while they were mentioned in the same breath as larger and better known acts, AI just never seemed to get the recognition that they deserved. Whilst originally rooted in the black/death metal style, the band would take on the grindcore sub-genre for their 2nd release, "Nadir". This sound worked perfectly for the band as "Nadir" was a banger album and showed off the band's musical talent and ferocity. 3 years later the band would record and release "Dark Crusade", a grindcore album that I personally hold to high acclaim.

The album starts off with a sample taken from the movie, "Predator" before blasting straight into "Centrefold Redemption" and right off the bat this album mercilessly beats into your eardrums and refuse to leave any surface unscathed. "A Kandarian Odyssey" bangs hard and features the album's best guitar solo, it's a shreddin' solo on a shreddin' track. With grindcore songs being typically short and to the point, I find myself having a favourite collective of tracks over just 1 song (This isn't always the case but I find this to be true with a lot of grind releases), whenever I listen to this album I often find myself repeating and enjoying "Carrion Caresses/Self Portrait of Hatred/1756" as a whole experience, starting off with one of the catchiest riffs present followed by a brutal grinding track with a vicious chanting chorus of "Self portrait, self portrait, self portrait of hatred" and taking a left turn into a savage deathgrind style that ends in wall of noise esq dissonance. "Now Below/He Sells Agony/Eternal Solitude Forbidden" is similar in the way those tracks work well together a single entity, plenty of catchy riffs on the selected tracks and a ton of blasting/tremolo sections. Of course this album actually features songs that are great on their own, "Philosophy of the Elite" is a strong track that bases itself off a groovy grind riff and gets pretty damn thrashy, "Entrusted With Disgust" shows off a lot of sole distorted bass fills and is just pure savagery put to recording. "Global Bastardisation" features the best blast/tremolo section on the album, "Hour of the Dog" is the closer track and a lengthy one at that (4:55) but never ceases to relent, a freight train of grindcore ferocity. The track seems to have lot in common with songs off their debut, very extreme metal forward and takes its time using slower death metal style riffs. Despite the punk riffs and attitude that comes with grind, AI are an extreme metal band at heart which would explain why this album in general tickles my fancy.

Grindcore as a genre can be messy and obnoxious (duh, that's the point!) but can also be done masterfully and I feel like Abaddon Incarnate have cemented themselves as a solid grind act. Are they taking the genre into new fields? No. Do they present a unique sound among a sea of distortion led mediocrity? No. What they bring is a solid set of sounds that takes on what Napalm Death & Brutal Truth have done and made it their own. "Dark Crusade" is a misanthropic, nihilistic swipe that hits with precision and leaves its marking upon the listener. "Prowler in the Yard" is my favourite grind album of all time but this album alongside "Tentacles of Influence", "Meteor" & "From Enslavement to Obliteration" are all albums that I love and admire. Buy it, blast it or bugger off.