Abscess - Horrorhammer
Peaceville Records – Cdvilef165p – 26th March 2007
By Chris Kee
When a band can boast personnel connections with Autopsy and Death then any self-respecting death metal fan has to take at least a passing interest. Then when they record their latest album in the same studio that vomited forth the Possessed classic Seven Churches…
Of course most people will be well aware of Abscess by now and I can report that Chris Reifert’s passion for all things sick and demented continues unabated. With the likes of ’New Diseases’ Abscess yet again summon up the true feel of death metal’s early primal roar. This is nasty, filthy stuff from start to finish with ’Hellhole’ conjuring up the ghost of early Venom with its raw noise and violence and ’Poison Messiah’ bringing to mind the dank atmospheres of Hellhammer. Death metal purists should be aware though that Horrorhammer is as much punk as it is metal. ’Exterminate’ and ’The Eternal Pyre’ are both raging punk speedballs – dirty and nasty as you could wish for but punk nonetheless – while ’Four Grey Walls’ even manages to remind me of Gang Green. Whatever genre label you apply though Abscess have still served up a grotesque feast of red raw, infected chaos and Chris Reifert in particular deserves top marks for both his pummelling drum assault and the base snarl of his vocals.
Official Abscess Website
Official Peaceville Records Website
Peaceville Records – Cdvilef165p – 26th March 2007
By Chris Kee
When a band can boast personnel connections with Autopsy and Death then any self-respecting death metal fan has to take at least a passing interest. Then when they record their latest album in the same studio that vomited forth the Possessed classic Seven Churches…
Of course most people will be well aware of Abscess by now and I can report that Chris Reifert’s passion for all things sick and demented continues unabated. With the likes of ’New Diseases’ Abscess yet again summon up the true feel of death metal’s early primal roar. This is nasty, filthy stuff from start to finish with ’Hellhole’ conjuring up the ghost of early Venom with its raw noise and violence and ’Poison Messiah’ bringing to mind the dank atmospheres of Hellhammer. Death metal purists should be aware though that Horrorhammer is as much punk as it is metal. ’Exterminate’ and ’The Eternal Pyre’ are both raging punk speedballs – dirty and nasty as you could wish for but punk nonetheless – while ’Four Grey Walls’ even manages to remind me of Gang Green. Whatever genre label you apply though Abscess have still served up a grotesque feast of red raw, infected chaos and Chris Reifert in particular deserves top marks for both his pummelling drum assault and the base snarl of his vocals.
Official Abscess Website
Official Peaceville Records Website
