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Abhorrence - Abhorrence

Looming, formidable, intangible death metal... - 89%

robotniq, July 3rd, 2020

The self-titled Abhorrence EP is some of the most ominous death metal ever made. Atmosphere is rarely fetishised in death metal like it is in black metal. This is probably because the second wave of black metal was a conscious decision towards ambience and aesthetics above all else. By contrast, death metal was always an organic and 'accidental' form of expression and got little credit for its own lo-fi innovations. Go deeper underground and you will find examples of death metal records that took a conscious atmospheric approach. This Abhorrence EP, released one year before "A Blaze in the Northern Sky", is perhaps the most obvious example. Without doubt, this is the record I would play to convince someone about the lo-fi virtues of death metal.

Abhorrence must have been inspired by late 80's UK death/grind (the first two Bolt Thrower records in particular). Their music is based on short blasting sections which are stitched together with longer slow sections. They capture the same inexorable momentum that Bolt Thrower had. The transitions between riffs are buried in 'fuzz', which helps to smooth over the cracks. The band have made small tweaks to their sound since the "Vulgar Necrolatry" demo. They have toned the Carcass influence down a little. The chaotic, long-ish songs and awful soloing have gone. All four songs here are well under four minutes and contain no solos. Abhorrence emphasise simple patterns of single notes, sometimes played clean (such as at the beginning of "Caught in a Vortex"), sometimes tremolo picked to create a dense, freezing wall of distorted sound (like the opening of "Disintegration of Flesh"). I suspect the band simplified their sound intentionally to maximise atmospheric effect within their technical limitations. This would have been unusual for a death metal band, where the default is to practice and improve technically.

You could not hope for a more fitting production. This record sounds like it was recorded in the middle of an electrical storm. You can almost feel the blasts of horizontal rain on your face as you listen to this music. It doesn't sound like mere guitars, drums and bass. It sounds like an unimaginable ancient force. These sorts of death metal sounds cannot be recreated in a modern setting, as the failures of recent clone bands prove. No-one has really matched the production on this record since. Funebrarum probably got closest and were one of the first 'new old school' death metal bands to attempt it. They even covered "Caught in a Vortex" on one of their records. The problem Funebrarum had was that they sounded too deliberate, too modern, not evil enough. The only recent death metal band I know that matches Abhorrence for atmosphere is Antediluvian, and they play a different type of death metal entirely.

The music on this EP is death metal at its bleakest and most primeval. There is an unseen menace lurking beneath, just beyond comprehension. Many of the techniques Abhorrence used would be seen in black metal, such as the tremolo picking and the fuzzy, grainy ambience. Of course, Abhorrence were death metal through and through, taking no obvious influence from any other genre except grindcore. This EP is a glimpse into what might have been, had the second wave of black metal never happened. Perhaps there would have been dozens of lo-fi, grindcore-infused death metal bands eschewing technicality and complexity in favour of atmosphere. All of this makes "Abhorrence" the quintessential Finnish death metal recording. Other bands were better technically and musically (Demigod, Sentenced, etc), but this EP will always mark the gravitational centre of the Finn-death sound.

The best Death Metal EP ever made - 100%

Kaleidozcope, November 8th, 2019

There is nothing missing from this EP, it has everything DEATH METAL should have. An ominous environment, imminent brutality, a dirty production, but still 100% distinguishable and most importantly: the aura, the aura of having left a place that is not of the physical world.

Undoubtedly, the best EP ever made in the whole genre, the best thing about this release is that it is not a blow of those that release all its virtues as vomit and then become empty soon after, but within its Barbarism hides a lot of refinement and compositional skills that all those "death metal" bands of modern technical metal would like to have. There is pure black and twisted magic here, it is a journey in which you are vilely disintegrated, but in the process, you get a tickle in the body when something moves you.

Seriously, the people who see "Abhorrence" as a simple-minded excuse for pure brutality just don't get it. Songs like "Caught in a Vortex" create an atmosphere that has nothing to envy bands like Evoken or diSEMBOWELMENT, actually the start of "Caught in a Vortex" possibly was an influence taken by Evoken when you compare those apocalyptic and desolate echoed acoustics. Other songs like "Disintegration of Flesh" are the definition of evil and morbid riffs and "Pestilential Mists" surely is one of the more crushing and devastating tracks of the whole genre, but damn I can't leave behind the groovy and barbaric "Holy Laws of Pain" with those punching lethal guttural refrains that answers the unholy hammer-like riffs. And oh boy, the drums...the fucking drums on this thing are insane and otherworldly brutal. The point is: yes, this EP is meant to destroy everything and being as brutal, gritty, and filthy as can be, but that is not the only strength here.

"Abhorrence" hides a lot within his layers. There will be a lot of people who throw it away at first or not see more than "straightforward brutality" with a rough and noisy production, but this is part of the point here: that is for the passionate people who dig in the pile of bones and protoplasmic mold that lays within "Abhorrence", one of those things that the more you listen to them the more you catch and it is this type of magnetism that is maintained over time and does not abandon your ears in any time. There are many STELLAR moments that come to mind randomly even without hearing the actual music, I can reproduce any song entirely in my head at any moment and when that happens you know you have a treasure in your hands that you will keep even in the afterlife.

Abhorrence surely did something above the vast majority of death metal bands. This release is a miracle (or should I say an unholy
catastrophe?), it's so good that I don't even need more songs or a full album. Only 4 songs, but one of the bests 4 songs of all death metal.

Giving less than 100% is insulting.

Listen to me, you mere mortals - 95%

Razakel, March 12th, 2012

You’d be hard pressed in finding an early ’90s death metal EP that tops this monstrosity. You could tell Abhorrence meant business with their demo, but nothing could have prepared the Finnish scene for their sophomore (and, regrettably, final) release. It’s remarkable how far their sound had come in just one year of activity. I listen to this at least as much as the classics of their contemporaries, and so should you.

Abhorrence shared more in common with the likes of Grave and early Bolt Thrower than they did with anything else coming out of Finland at the time. This is nothing but the finest riff-driven primitive death metal you could hope to come by. Pestilential Mists opens up gradually from a brooding intro into an array of violent tempo changes. The production is markedly improved from the Vulgar Necrolatry demo, but still sounds as if the band is performing from within a murky, nameless cavern hidden in the dank Finnish woodlands. After the howling solo of the opener dissolves into silence, my two favourite Abhorrence tracks are consecutively presented. Riff-maestro, Tomi Koivusaari, rips right into Holy Laws of Pain with some meaty, distorted chugs. Apparently the vocalist of Abhorrence never went on to do anything else in the extreme metal underground, which is as bizarre as it is unfortunate. Nevertheless, his performance here is guttural and punishing as shit, and the way it spews through the mess of guitar distortion makes the music sound that much more abrasive. Caught in a Vortex sees the band slowing down the pace for some eerie atmospheric melodies, or at least that’s the intro, the rest is more of the same fast-paced riffy death metal. For whatever reason, the production on the final track, Disintegration of Flesh, is hilariously less polished than the rest of the tracks. Whether this was left over from the demo or not, I’m not sure, but the song itself holds up just fine so who cares.

Abhorrence didn’t waste any time during their short little stint, and while I’m often kept awake at night thinking about what a full length might have offered us, I’m fully contented with the two releases that were put forth. I guess the most logical recommendation for a full-length after this EP would be Amorphis’ debut, since it shares the primary guitarist/songwriter, but it actually doesn’t sound very similar. I’d say Amorphis’ Privilege of Evil EP is the closest companion piece to this, but still, the songs here are straight up better. If this band put out at least one more release, or if their work was given proper reissues, I’m confident that the death metal community would laud Abhorrence alongside first tier death metal acts of the same era. Alas, as it stands, they are remembered only by those who have sought them out, but those select few have been duly rewarded with filthy death metal of the highest calibre. Brief as it may have been, Abhorrence’s career is a firm and respectable pillar in the foundations of the putrid Finnish underground, and this is their definitive offering.

Absolutely classic release - 100%

dismember_marcin, May 27th, 2010

I have only good memories about this EP. First time I've heard this piece was probably somewhere in 1993 or 94, when I got the tape (Polish pirate, released by the MG Records) with SERAPHIC DECAY Compilation of EPs. I loved that tape a lot, bands like DISGRACE and GOREAPHOBIA were so bloody obscure and brutal I couldn't get them out of my system. But it was the Finnish ABHORRENCE that really became my absolute favourite. This opinion was even bettered after I got AMORPHIS' "The Karelian Isthmus" wonderful album and when I got to know bit more about these Finns and the connection between both bands. Lovely time and being then only 14 it did influence me a lot and surely both were one of my very favourite bands.

Time goes forward, I'm 30 now and do you know what's the fucking best thing one could imagine? I haven't changed my mind a bit and still consider this EP as a killer. Ha, that's what I call an immortal power of music, but I dare to risk and say these Finns would never imagine their gory slabs will be so powerful and remembered even 20 years later. The band totally deserves its cult status and the influence they had on the scene is undeniable. I don't even regret they split up soon after - thanks to that we've got AMORPHIS and ABHORRENCE remains as a cult on its own.

OK, back to this seven inch! If there's one thing I don't really like it may be the front cover - a disturbing collage of zombies, corpses and other monstrous creatures, it looks bit childish now, but hell... It does fit the mood of the music perfectly. The EP starts with a creepy intro, when suddenly the slow riffing of “Pestilential Mists” blows up the speaker. This should be Finland's national anthem! ABHORRENCE nicely combines the fast grinding parts (CARCASS!!!) with the slower riffage, but it must be said this is probably the slowest song the band ever did. These slow fragments, often accompanied by memorable melodies are creating a main foundation of the song, while the fast riffage is only few seconds long. But you trully can smell the odour of rotten bodies accompanying these sounds.

But then we’ve got “Holy Laws of Pain” – one of my favourite ABHORRENCE tracks. Fantastic and aggressive death metal anthem, with brilliant vocals from Jukka and some superb riffs. Yeah, ABHORRENCE was all about the riffs – they had a gift of creating astonishing and highly memorable riffs; not just the melodies, but also those incredible slow tunes, that massacre like a damn bulldozer. Even the fast parts will stay in your head for long - this is something most of the present bands lost completely.

“Caught In a Vortex” is very alike to the opening song, but I absolutely love its middle fragment, with slow, total headbanger riffing. I can die for such riffs!!! And again some brilliant vocals from Jukka. “Disintegration of Flesh” from the other hand is much faster and more aggressive, but somehow it’s bit worse produced. I don’t know if it’s my copy’s fault or what, but it doesn’t sound as loud and energetic as the previous tracks. Anyway, it’s pretty straight forward song, with clear CARCASS vibe.

All in all, these four compositions create a wonderful 7” single. It’s one of those recordings, that will remain immortal to me. I couldn’t stop listening to it! I love every aspect of it – production, songs, riffing, vocals, band photo on a cover, etc. The only fault I can see in the music is somehow strange way of finishing every song. It seems like the band dropped some ideas of them and made them shorter so that they could fit on a 7”. I don’t know what the truth is, but surely these songs should take another minute or more to be fully completed.

A More mature Effort - 87%

CHRISTI_NS_ANITY8, June 25th, 2008

This is the second and unfortunately, the last effort by Abhorrence. This time, is an EP that, anyways, is shorter in length than the first demo. Their death metal style hasn’t changed a lot from the beginning but here comes with a better production even if we don’t find the hyper clean and pounding sounds. It’s always death metal in its purest form, so it needs a right, putrid sound.

The intro is erased by the incontrollable fury of the opener, “Pestilential Mist” where the blast beats are perfectly balanced with some doom passages. These last ones, in particular, are truly morbid and rotten with some dissonant part while the guitars play tremolo picking riffs when the blast beats are the most important tempo. The vocals, as the demo before, are not excessive but more suffocated and somehow similar to the American death metal wave.

“Holy Laws of Pain” features a quite thrash metal riff at the beginning, to flow in some more impulsive blast beats. That thrash metal riff is a sign of maturity, while the old Morbid Angel influences of the past demo are almost completely gone. “Caught in a Vortex” contains obscure arpeggios at the beginning to become Swedish death metal riffs and that’s strange for a Finnish band. Here they were so similar to the sounds in the Grave’s debut. The only thing that differs is the use of the blast beats.

The atmosphere is murky, heavy and really brutal. It seems to be in a desolated wood at night. The guitars are extremely rotten and the obscure and the scary tones as intro to “Disintegration of Flesh” are an example. The down tempo parts are the most odd and obscure ones. There is no light in these riffs, just suffering and misery. The lead guitars draw scenarios of pure madness and depravity.

All in all, another good effort by this overlooked band. The lovers of the purest form of death metal will like it. It’s obscure, rotten and perfect for a horror film. It marks also a step further for this band, which finally reached a good level of personality, leaving a bit the old influences to find their own path to death metal.

Timeless Classic.... - 95%

TortureFiend, June 29th, 2007

Fans of Finnish/Swedish/Scandinavian death metal know what this is with no introduction. Its not surprising that this is now revered as a "cult" release, seeing as it was not only one of the breakthrough deathmetal releases of the Finnish scene, but also the fact it was released on the long-dead Seraphic Decay records... Forget the "Entombed" comparison above, this is death in the old FINNISH way, and connoiseurs of the genre can tell the difference Im sure... This is low-tuned, sludgy, gloomy, scandinavian death metal in its most stripped down, primitive form. The album has definitely got that somewhat "etherial" feeling in the recording, and the vocals are a low death growl. While "caught in a vortex" is considered the band's "hit song" by many (a fact that is bolstered by FUNEBRARUM's recent cover of the song...), I tend to prefer the final track "Disintegration of Flesh" due to the gloomy riffing the song starts with, and the path it travels through the end... All in all, if you consider yourself a fan of Scandinavian death metal and you either dont have this release, or have never heard it, your life is not complete until you find it!

Death should just be the beginning - 72%

Egregius, June 14th, 2004

If death metal is deconstructive nihilism eschewing teleological purpose and meaning in life, "seeking freedom by dropping out of the imposed social order and embracing chaos and entropy" (source: Richard Carpenter), then one of the inherent pitfalls in death metal must be to fall into the eroded groove of 'rebellion first, creative thought' later. When the short intro (which positively surprises by lack of intent) goes over into 'Pestilential Mists' we are treated with a groove that morphs itself sequentially into several riff-themes, only disrupted by an annoying breakdown into standard pummeling. The second time this disturbance comes around however, it has established itself as a bridge to the final theme: a dirge heralding imminence of perishing.

On the second track the aforementioned pitfall establishes itself however. The band finds itself in a groove often fallen into by death metal bands aspiring towards freedom from conventionality. Disjointed parts that gain internal cohesion by simplicity, and intercohesion only by a common theme of being so simple that it's seperate elements have been spontaneously reproduced by the various bands of the early 90's deathmetal explosion, by sheer force of being easy to manifest.

In 'Caught In A Vortex' the band has found essence again however. Introduced to gloom by cavernous acoustic chords, the fuzzily distorted guitars soon overtake the same melody until they erupt with the realised necessity of action. Finding direction in movement the song progresses towards a point where movement becomes frantic untill controlled once more. When the futility of attempted control slowly becomes apparant the song breaks down into chaos once more, untill stillness is found in fatalistically letting control go to the forces that be.

Opening with black metal-esque chromatic riffing, the band decepts into not expecting the following simplistic breakdown in 'Disintegration Of Flesh'. After this the band doomily descends to nihilation, occasionally warning with those annoying breakdowns that the end won't be blissfull peace, and emphasizing with an occasional return of the opening riff that death is ever malicious.

Death is ancient, and the end carries no new message, no profound meaning that wasn't apparant before Abhorrence from Finland redirected thought towards it.