Mortandad

Another beast from the Dunkelheit roster is rearing its ugly head. I have heard about Abatuar the first time when they had released their full length debut “Perversiones de muerte putrefacta” in 2017. This one has a very rough yet somehow fascinating piece of rotten music and so I was curious when I saw that they have just released the follow-up. “Mortandad” is similarly dirty, but the band manages to show a certain level of maturity here as well.

The basis of the music is a viscous stream of very raw and filthy riffs accompanied by a relentless and devastating rhythm section. Each song has trademark chords that are hitting hard and that are presented with just enough variation to keep things fresh enough over the whole playing time. Abatuar mix brutal, raw blast beats, with slower filthily depraved sections, while also exhibiting some old school grindcore influences here and there. Due to the sheer darkness that these songs pour into the world the music can’t help but adopt a slightly blackened approach on occasion.

The guitars are especially noteworthy, as they are down-tuned to unfathomable levels, and no upward fretboard movement on the lower strings remotely changes the sensation of the riffs grinding to the tune of a chainsaw to flesh. The studio production on “Mortandad” is raw, buzzy and murky yet perfectly fitting and this devastating effort is given the proper set-up for each instrument to uniquely deliver each of its contributions.

One highlight for sure is the drumming with the man behind the kit having everything needed in his repertoire. Ultra-fast blasts and relentless fills are alternating with more groovy and laid-back sections. Depending on what a concrete moment asks for he is able to ramp up the intensity or slow things down and concentrate on the groove.

The vocals are beastly and enhance the unsettling atmosphere of this whole thing even more. A look at the cover artwork might be enough for a lot of metal fans to stay away from this putrid piece of music, but anyone who is interested in a short trip to the darker pits of the genre needs to have a listen. Just don't day you have not been warned.