Abhoria – Abhoria
Release Date: 4th February 2022
Label: Prosthetic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Immortal, Dark Funeral, Emperor.
Review By: Rick Farley
Being a huge fan of 90’s era Black Metal, I was absolutely stoked to be able to review this album. U.S. dystopian Black Metal trio Abhoria have forged eight modern songs built on the foundations of bands like Immortal and Dark Funeral. Ferocious and grim, Abhoria will unapologetically ravage your preconceived notions of the genre. With modern production, their take on Black Metal is wonderfully nostalgic but sounds new and fresh. Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Shane Howard, there’s a raw brutality captured with the slick crisp and clean production. It gives the album a discordant feel that makes it even more threatening. It comes across full, thick and powerful sounding. The guitars are not high-pitched or trebly like Black Metal typically is. It’s forty-two savage minutes of aggressive darkness, that’s sure to please and pummel even the blackest of heart.
Musically, Abhoria sounds fresh and exciting. It brings a newness to such a classic era in Black metal. Unrelenting blasting and energetic chaotic riffs, somewhat thrash tinged, engage the listener with unrestrained ferocity. Dissonant chord progressions, fast unmuted tremolo picking, and eerie guitar solos gives the album a tormented, uneasy feeling throughout. It’s crafted so masterfully, it’s unnerving. The music is complex to the point of great musicianship and strong song structures, but easy to comprehend the innovative compositions. With a focus on exploring the raw black atmosphere, the riffs are aplenty and menacing. Full-on raging to airy single note minor scales, there’s not one ounce of filler to be found anywhere. Its tempos range from fast to deliberate slower grooves, harsh twists and turns, progressively adding small bits and pieces of Death Metal and Black and Roll it punishes you from every angle and pace.
Sinister The Thorn stands as my personal favourite, it furiously blasts, and tremolo picks its way through a demonic sound that could open the gates to the underworld. It has a recurring hook laden chorus that’s rather catchy, but still sounds malevolent. Byzantine Promises has a furious pace touching occasionally on some crusty blackened punk vibes, its raw power shows its gnarly teeth. Grave Expectations has a beginning riff reminiscent of Morbid Angel song “Eyes to See, Ears to Hear,” that transitions to a blackened almost slower swing rhythm, into a straighter rock rhythm and back again. There are little touches of prog elements here and there, making this the most diverse song. The song Hollow has an airy hypnotic bounciness with varying drumbeats, its callousness is sure to incite some pit violence. Every song embraces other musical realms ever so slightly, but fully roots itself faithfully in pure black darkness.
Lyrically, Abhoria touches on the atrocities of life, the ruinous side of humanity, hopelessness and religious zealotry. Instead of infernal satanic lyrics, Abhoria explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. This adds to the already turbulent atmosphere of the music. Vocalist Walthrax has an incredible Black Metal voice, easily going from gritty higher raspy shrieks to low growls. Refined and organic sounding, the vocals are a highlight. On the more atmospheric track Sunless, he goes from a gravely yell to highs and lows effortlessly. There’s even a brief passage of clean vocals that are beautifully sung. His voice is so fierce and natural sounding, it becomes an additional instrument to further convey the bleak soundscape presented throughout the album.
Abhoria has found new grounds to break while maintain the legacy of the greats that came before them. Paying a homage to a beloved genre with great care and respect but also bringing forth a newfound freshness revitalizing the genre, is a feat that very few bands could accomplish. Their brutal modern sound brings Black Metal a little further up the evolutionary scale. Abhoria’s take is not experimental or symphonic, but rather focuses on the frenetic aggression of the glory days. In a genre of actual church burnings, murders and sacrificial offerings, Abhoria still makes Black Metal sound dangerous. 
(5 / 5)
