Review: Mitchell Holland
After 3 years since the release of the brain melting ManiaCult, titans in the scene ABORTED are back with Vault of Horrors. Vault of Horrors is bursting at the seams with everything you would expect and more from the Belgian death metal band, featuring some of the biggest vocalists in the game. Every track is perfectly composed with deadly blink and you’ll get windmilled fight riffs and the feral vocal melodies from Sven that send a chill down the spine!
The first taste of Vault of Horrors comes in the form of Dreadbringer featuring Ben Duerr (SHADOW OF INTENT). Quickly drawing you in with an eerie intro before it boots you in the jaw with brutal riffs and percussion that sounds like full magazines being emptied! With a gnarly guitar solo and a monster of a feature, this intro track sets the brutal scene for Vault of Horrors.
With no signs of slowing down, Condemned to Rot takes no prisoners from the first note. Cavernous vocal techniques met with skull crushing guitar work and eardrum bursting drum work. Francesco Paolo (FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE) takes this instant classic and turns Condemned to Rot into a death metal enthusiasts dream.
Be careful, blink and Brotherhood of Sleep will hound you with its dark sound not sparing the listener once play is pressed. Harrowing highs accompanied by gut wrenching lows; this tracks breakdown left me starting home renovations early. Brotherhood of Sleep features Johnny Ciardullo (CARCOSA/ANGELMAKER)
Death Cult contains intensity at every corner, perfectly composed instrumentals with a feature from Alex Erion (DESPISED ICON). Sven and Alex make this track seem larger than life with the two feeding off each others energy between segments.
Eerie chord progressions and the intense technical drum work of Ken Bedene set the standard early for Hellbound. This track harbours a solo that pulls you in before sending you into a flurry of head banging and stank face; featuring Matt McGachy (CRYPTOPSY)
If you are easily startled; prepare yourself for Insect Politics; leaving nothing in its wake this track features INGESTED frontman Jason Evans. If you’re not about that life; leave the pit immediately when this track comes on, you have been warned!
If you’re looking for a track to make you feel like a villain; The Golgathan is perfect for you. Even writing this the patterns in this track are still playing in the back of my head over and over again; featuring Hal Microutsicos (ENGULF)
The Shape of Hate contains brutalised breakdowns and down tempo segments that will invade your brain like a parasite! Guitarists are bound to rewind the solo within The Shape of Hate; featuring Oliver Rae Aleron (ARCHSPIRE)
A fine wine aged in the fiery pits of hell is how I would describe Naturom Diemonto. The vocal masterclass displayed between Sven and David Simonich (SIGNS OF THE SWARM) is not to be taken lightly. Delivering anxiety inducing gutturals with blood curdling highs backed by an instrumental masterpiece.
As we arrive unto the end; Malevolent Haze reminds us one last time just who the hell Aborted are and why they are top tier in conversations about death metal. Conjuring the monster that is Ricky Hoover (OV SULFUR), this outro track caps off a perfectly structured album.
ABORTED
NEW ALBUM VAULT OF HORRORS
OUT MARCH 15
Pre-order and pre-save Vault Of Horrors here.
