Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Abisso - WRNSS (2016)

Abisso is an atmospheric black metal project that I can only describe as a mantra of bitter darkness. Hailing from Sardinia, the two man group is composed of G (Alzheimer – Really, there's a band by that name?) on guitars and M (ex-Cold Empire, ex-Crowned In Thorns) on vocals. One of these gentlemen also programs the drums and effects as well, because I'm certainly hearing them and I'm quite sure they didn't employ ghosts. In any case, what the band has considered to be black metal often sounds to me more like a sort of soundscapey death metal.

Obviously there are more tremolo riffs than thick death metal grooves (you'll be really lucky to hear any of those here) but G's vocals are a bit thicker than I'd expect and give off a much grittier death metal tone. The listener will be getting a very slow, yet calculated meditation here which does in fact contain some rather grandiose sections, in addition to places where the drums are piled on a bit thicker and the performance feels a bit livelier. It almost feels as if a bit of trudging doom found it's way into this mix, melding in perfectly with the tremolo melodies in order to give the experience a decidedly grim and menacing feel.

Once again, the record does feature bits of speed, but Abisso seem to be more interested in crafting rather forlorn melodies, instead of blasting your damn head off with a machine-gun drum approach. WRNSS is definitely a record with a sense of purpose, so it you like it slow and yet still vicious, chances are that you're going to want to put this five section piece into your collection. I must admit, this is a rather promising debut for a band that hadn't even released a demo under this moniker and I'd like to hear what they'll be doing with this style in the future. It's a little bit of black, doom, electronic and even some death I think – and that's what will draw people in. Give it a listen.

(5 Tracks, 36:00)

8/10

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