Okay put any notion or perception on what you think is heavy or brutal to a side, no really do that, well at-least I had to. Be prepared to be educated! Its just about the most darn heavy album I have ever heard. It is so noisy, caustic an extreme for me it should carry a warning that reads a long the lines of ”You might spontaneously com-bust on listening”, Also fair advice, do not play this around conservative Christians, I can imagine the torrents of fiery abuse they would rain down on you after a few seconds of listening to this. Even the name, Abated Mass Of Flesh, does not conjure up pretty walks in the park, sweat sounds of waterfalls, and sheep relaxing in the meadow; the name would probably seem more fitting on a zombie music Compilation album to be honest. There does seem to be a trend towards really BRUTAL heavy music lately, or maybe Eelco, my Editor, is just giving me the most brutal albums he can for me to review…haha. These guys are off Rottweiler Records, a name I say is synonymous with some great releases, solid artist and a solid presence in the Christian music scene that has won my respect more than once. I have seen a lot of activity on Facebook surrounding Abated Mass of Flesh, and its all been mostly positive, which is a good thing, it helps the reviewer a little in terms of preparation. Though I have never listened to them before, but had various pictures in my mind of what they could sound like, from postings of fans of theirs who are friends of mine, and oh boy, my mind failed me, this is way more brutally charged nitro , turbo-ed and supercharged fueled death metal than I ever imagined, way more than what I have experienced from the genre in the past.
Originally formed as a solo project in 2011 by Zack Plunket. Abated Mass Of Flesh gained attention after the release of the first EP “Moth and Rust in the Temple of Putridity”. Now Since then, Abated Mass Of Flesh have managed to steadily been work their way through the underground scene. Zack began writing for a second EP titled “Brutal Death” in February of 2012. Later he brought his brother Matthew Plunkett to the project to take over on the lead vox. In May of 2012, the duo signed with Rottweiler Records after the completion of recording their EP “Brutal Death”, which was released on March 12th, 2013. They have been adding new members ever since.
For some this album might seem a Cacophonous, caustic noise, and I don’t think the band would take that as a insult. You might just get a ‘thank you’. To be honest they are certainly more than that. There music is so Brutal, so Cacophonous that either by pure shock, or amazement you can’t help but keep listening, well at-least I could not. This is some of the heaviest music many of us will ever get to listen. For a moment because how extreme it can come across at times I could not make up my mind as to whether this is just really bad, or in fact really good. But all cacophony aside, this album pulsates with ludicrous amounts of raw energy – fact.
The head stomping, rib cage breaking, stomach crunching EP sets off with, “Reconciliation”, as it started a thought it was a poor production, sounded like terribly low-fi in some ways for the first few seconds, and almost felt disappointed because I heard from friends who I trust with their musical diet that these guys serve up a brutal course of death metal like few others, and thought this is totally marred by poor recording quality, which I thought was strange for a Rottweiler release. But then out of nowhere the song dives into a brutal assault of intense guitar playing, and rampant drumming like I was hoping to hear. Its a pity, because the first few seconds of the intro put me off a bit on first round listen, but that’s me. I am normally not a fan off extreme death vocals, but the vocals are so insane, that either by fear or shock they impress.
“Reflections of suffering”, In some parts it sounds like the drummer is angrily bashing at my front door with the machine gun like bursts. The song gets a little boring for me, its as brutal as it gets, and their cacophonous sound rages relentless, and this song should be great in a live format, as with much of the rest of the album, but its not the most innovative track on the release.
“40 Days” starts with a chunky intro, full of crunch, and march, while “Deadland” is a brutal noise of thrashing guitars and machine gun bursts. There is no doubt that on the brutal radar these guys blow the thermometer, and sounds like the ideal theme music for a rampant out of control murderer. These guys should throw pitch at the producers of Dexter, or The Walking Dead to add to the excitement of those TV series. Funny this song gave me the thought of running through a pack of Zombies, ballistic-ally taken them down in a mad rage as I make my escape and race for safety.
Okay my favorite intro on “The Anatomy of Impurity” is found on the track, “My Cross to Claim”. Brilliant guitar work, some insane drumming that certainly scores confidently high with me as I extend my hand in salute to Kade Dodson. Easily my favorite track.
You now even though there is not much diversity on the album, it never becomes boring, and again the pure cacophonous melodies that could scare the dead awake, or make your ears bleed is just so insane and almost unthinkable, that if you are like me, can leave you shocked, and exhilarated all at once. There were many times as I listened to this as loud as I could with my headphones on, that I was wondering if my heart was going to burst out my chest, as it accelerated with the momentum of the songs.
A brief comment on the lettering of the band name, what the heck?, I am a sober individual and I still can’t find Abated Mass Of Flesh in the scribbles. Just saying. Something I never have got quite use too, from many extreme death metal bands.
So what you get is a brutal cacophony of death metal of the likes you’ll seldom ever come across; don’t think too many bands will traverse along the same lines as these guys, well at least in the Christian music scene. To be honest it borders on being so extreme that I did not know weather its just outrageously bad, or shockingly good. Either way its extreme. Its noisy and the vocals can sound like a play pen of demons in places. There is not much variation between the songs, so there are no real tracks that stand clear of another for me, but that said its not half bad, and its not boring. It might have gone differently if it was a full length, and my only creative comment should they pursue a full length would be adding a little more diversity within the brutal-ness. They are onto something here, sure its skull splattering riffs, beats and vocals taken to the extremities, but its the way they have executed it that has impressed me, its a good production overall, and a worthy fit for the kind of quality band or musician Rottweiler Records take in. With that, yes these guys are Christian, and from the various titles on this release my hope is that this album has significant outreach potentials. If you like your music brutal and noisy with a bit of death that can serve up heart attacks and mayhem and possibly wake the dead, then look no further, you have struck water here. I am left excited to see what a full length album might sound like, and where musically they are taking this sound. To me this is a band at the beginning of its evolution and have laid down a platform that ultimately lends its self to growth in the future. So as I said if you love gut wrenching guitar playing that’s real heavy with brutal drumming from one of the noisiness, cacophonous and brutal bands ever, then this is by far a good album for you to add to your music collection.
You can download “The Anatomy Of Impurity” from NoiseTrade, or feel free to listen below.
Rating: 7/10
Written by Donovan de Necker
Track Listing:
1 Reconciliation
2 Reflections of Suffering
3 40 Days
4 Deadland
5 My Cross To Claim
6 Residue of Eden
Band members:
Matthew Plunkett – Vocals
Kade Dodson – Drums
Max Tubville – Bass
Zack Plunkett – Guitars
Record Label: Rottweiller Records, Sept. 2013
Discography:
Skin Stripped Away (2011)
Moth and Rust in the Temple of Putridity (2011)
Brutal Death ÉP (2012)
The Anatomy Of Impurity EP (2013)
Weblinks: Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
USA: Metal Helm