ALBUM REVIEW: Abhorrent Obsessions – Carrion Vael
CARRION VAEL occupy the technical melodeath space, staking a claim towards a form of death metal that is not just uncompromisingly complex and brutal, but also catchy. This is no small task – such a blending of styles closely runs the risk of overdoing the ‘more is more’ approach. It is a testament to the Indiana quintet’s talents that with their third full-length offering Abhorrent Obsessions they have squared that circle, resulting in a record that is as musical as it is intensely brutal.
A creepy narrative intro – the album draws influence from infamous serial killers and mass murders in history – flows into the full-out assault on the senses that is the opener Wings Of Deliverance. With this, Abhorrent Obsessions catches you by the throat from the first minute and does not loosen the grip until the very last. A track like The Devil In Me is a masterclass in how to let the riffs of a metal composition unfold and develop organically, without ever getting your foot off the gas, while Kentucky Fried Strangulation has a zinger of a title and the high-calorie riffs to accompany it. Throughout the album, there are musical associations to be had with artists like AT THE GATES, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, SYLOSIS and DIMMU BORGIR at their most violent. The only brief moments of respite come through the occasional choir-like synth interludes which elevate the sense of horror in the songs to an altogether more God-fearing level.
It is doubtless that the guitars are the stars of this show. The riffs are highly melodic and bear an almost neo-classical influence in the note choices and compositional approach, very rarely spiralling into the meat-and-potatoes dissonance of slam and deathcore, while the virtuosic solos are meticulously thought out and executed. Whilst unremittingly brutal, the guitars also manage to be catchy and memorable throughout. The other key ingredient in the band is the weapons-grade percussion of Chris Smiley who is an unhinged beast behind the drums. His parts leave barely any room for taking a breath, trading off rattling blast beats, machine-gun double bass and octopus-limbed breaks along the entire kit. Despite almost always staying at 100 miles per hour, he manages to keep things varied by switching the rhythmic feel and picking his hits in a way that mirrors the melodic development of the guitars.
The vocals of Travis Lawson Purcell encompass the full gamut of screams and growls, ranging from throat-splitting heights to guttural depths. The human voice on this record is used more like a rhythmic instrument, shooting through the music like a metronome. Clean vocals are utilised sparingly and effectively, providing a momentary wave of serenity before the sonic carpet bombing begins anew. Amidst all this artillery, bassist Alex Arford has the good taste to play a mostly supportive role by providing an unflashy yet solid backbone for the songs.
It’s this aforementioned relentlessness that makes the album’s 38 minutes fly by in a breathless frenzy. It is only during the synthy outro of closer The Paint Shop that you realise your ears have taken a rather good beating. This narrow focus on a particular dynamic means the album cannot help but feel loud, though that seems to be a deliberate choice – the band themselves share that they “wrote this album with the utmost in absolute savagery at heart”. Despite this intensity, it won’t be long before you rush back in for another round. With Abhorrent Obsessions, CARRION VAEL have made exactly what they set out to do – a punchy, punishing masterclass in how to create death metal that is equal parts technical, melodic, and brutal.
Rating: 8/10
Abhorrent Obsessions is set for release on August 12th via Unique Leader Records.
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