EP REVIEW: La Grande Mascarade – Aborted

Belgium’s death grind superstars ABORTED have spent the last decade climbing to the very top of the death metal scene. From Global Flatline to 2018’s TerrorVision (read our review here), ABORTED have become one of the genre’s most respected outfits. Now coming to the end of the TerrorVision cycle, the quintet are set to drop a brand new EP to tide the death metal scene over before they unleash a new full-length upon the masses. But how does La Grande Mascarade stack up to their stellar back-catalogue?

The first new music from the Belgian death metal wizards came in March in the form of the explosive Gloom And The Art Of Tribulation. Vocalist Sven de Caluwe is in as fine a form as ever, delivering guttural growls with as much intensity as his piercing shriek, while guitarists Harrison Patuto and Ian Jekelis rip through crunchy riffs and shredded lead lines like it’s nothing.

If that wasn’t enough, the masters of brutality have treated us to a couple of extra tracks to get us through lockdown. Serpent Of Depravity is as heavy as you’d expect, not wasting a single second. The vibrations drummer Ken Bedene can create with his blast beats almost feel violent, while ABORTED’s distinct ability to mix progressive elements into their work can be found through the atmospheric spoken word and sudden sectional shifts.

If the previous track wasted no time, then Funereal Malediction takes this to the extreme. The anguished scream that kicks the track off captures the energy the band have always been about, and despite only being left with one member from its original lineup, while the ferocious technicality that follows shows why each one of them deserves to be there.

As a band, ABORTED are getting closer and closer to the highly progressive merging of death metal and grindcore that CATTLE DECAPITATION have mastered over the last ten years. At the moment, they’re stuck in a blinding, breathless frenzy of uninterrupted brutality, and it works well, but just one last push and they’ll be on par with those at the pinnacle of the genre.

Rating: 8/10

La Grande Mascarade is set for release April 17th via Century Media Records. 

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