ALBUM REVIEW: Summoning The Cataclysm – Azaab
When you think of Pakistan, it is probably unlikely that the first thing that comes to mind is bone-splintering death metal. Hoping to challenge that initial thoughtlessness and put their particular brand of howling brutality on the map are Islamabad’s very own AZAAB, who have recently released their debut album Summoning The Cataclysm.
Pandemonium Twilight almost lulls you into a false sense of security before these bone crunching blastbeats lurch into view. Swirling overhead like an ethereal miasma are some fairly fluffy keyboards. It makes for a nice intro, but Carbon Plague is the real mission statement. The riffs are engaging, theres an absolutely ripping solo about halfway through and the drum work is spot on. It’s aggressive and manages to scratch the old-school itch while also retaining modern production. Think if HAIL OF BULLETS were really mad about something.
A Hollow Pact Is a total pummeller. Machine-gun riffing bolstered by thunderous double kicks is arguably one of the best combinations that exists in any subgenre of heavy metal and this makes for a deeply satisfying example of it. It’s one of those rare tracks that just sits at the base of your neck and defies it not to move even a little bit. By this point, the listener may well be thinking that the best way that this band can be described is if Glen Benton and Trey Azagthoth had conspired to steal the rhythm section from BOLT THROWER in order to smash out loads of old SUFFOCATION covers. If that doesn’t immediately sell them, then this just might not be for you.
Turning to the album’s midriff, we find Preachers of Hate. Slightly more technical, but not in your usual virtuosity/vanity style, just cranking up the riff game into overdrive while simultaneously managing to keep them above the digestibility level of the usual technical noodle. What it is actually doing is ramping up to When Worlds Collide, which is testament to the band’s sheer ability to write riffs so nasty that there’s likely a cordon sanitaire around them. Not just content with playing host to some of the album’s standout riffs, here we also find some of the most formidable drum work across the whole runtime. It is very clear that not only is there an enormous amount of technical ability being bandied around here, but the members of AZAAB are so comfortable within their ability that they know their purpose is to serve the song, not to be carried away with showing off. It really shows and the music is all the better for it.
The Infernal Citadel is an absolute rager. It tears out of the gate and flies off with all the immediacy and vitriol of grapeshot from the mouth of a cannon. It simply does not let up for its entire runtime and even features a familiar face in the form of Phil Tougas of CHTHE’ILIST and FIRST FRAGMENT, who pours a white-hot solo into this already molten slab of death metal excellence. This could well be your pick of the album, even if it is up against some ludicrously stiff competition.
Trophies Of Flesh is another exercise in technicality without twisting into the territory of the overcomplicated. It is taut, well-played and masterfully constructed. They really know how and when to turn it on and when to pull back, which immediately puts them head and shoulders above an embarrassingly high number of their contemporaries.
Given the sharply apparent DECAPITATED influence present in AZAAB’s music, we should not be at all surprised at the appearance of a cover of The Empty Throne from 2004’s The Negation. It makes for a meatier tribute to what is clearly a mutual favourite track of theirs. In all honesty though, if you didn’t read the tracklist or weren’t familiar with DECAPITATED, you could be forgiven for thinking it was just one of AZAAB’s tracks due to how well it blends with their original material, and surely that’s the marker for a good cover, right?
Muscular closer B.L.O.O.D.B.O.R.N heralds its arrival with a howling thrash riff and keeps its foot firmly planted on the accelerator for the entire runtime. It’s one of those closers whose sole purpose is to hammer the point of the last 40 minutes home by battering you into a pulp, and in that endeavour it succeeds. More than that though, it leaves you thinking that Summoning The Cataclysm is an absolutely tremendous effort. Those of you who, much like the author, were completely ignorant about the metal scene in Pakistan before their initial exposure to AZAAB, will presumably, much like the author, now be total converts who will rush to explore more of what this area of the world can produce.
Rating: 8/10
Summoning The Cataclysm is out now via Maxima Music Pro/Satanath Records.
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