Abhordium: Omega Prayer

Returning after a six year lay off, Finland's Abhordium have refined their offering somewhat with their 2017 album Omega Prayer. Beginning life in 2005, initially the focus of the band's early demos and EPs was one of pure filthy black metal, something 2011's When Depravity Incarnates full-lengther confirmed. With album number two however, while the cover of Omega Prayer and the Abhordium band logo may still reek of the black stuff, what's contained inside moves things into a more deathly black hybrid. The outfit's sound of old taking a back seat for something a little more refined and a lot more technical.

Balance is key on Omega Prayer, with the tightrope walked between eye catching dexterity and full force grinding one traversed without the merest hint of insecurity. The same confidence is shown in the patience with which Abhordium build their crushing displays, the reliance on unearthly spoken word and explosive drums on opener "The Chronology Of Decadence" immediately serving notice that you can expect a collection of tracks with real depth and substance here. The same can be applied for the vocal attack from Kari Laaksonen, a compelling mix of barking aggression and controlled, harsh singing proving that sometimes pulling back on the more obvious anger can leave a more brutal impression. With a twin guitar attack that scythes with real accuracy while conjuring an unnerving and less obvious approach, "Dreary Touch Of The Void" and "From The Depths I Slithered" become much more full bodied than their names may suggest. And the pair are all the better for it.

If you're looking for comparisons, then possibly Behemoth and Belphegor, or maybe Vader come to mind, but more in the construction of the pieces than any clear and obvious homage. Instead Abhordium use that sound as a base to build from and forge ahead with an outlook more of their own. It may be a stretch to suggest that what they've created here brings much of any real ground breaking originality, but neither is there a reliance on stereotypical tropes to get this band's message across. It may have slipped through my net at the tail end of last year but Omega Prayer is one of the best blackened death offerings of 2017 and one you should definitely seek out.

Track Listing
1. The Chronology Of Decadence
2. Channeled Be My Hate
3. Asebeia
4. Obsidian Chamber
5. Perpetual Desertification
6. At The Highest Temple
7. Dreary Touch Of The Void
8. From The Depths I Slithered
9. Omega Prayer

Added: March 17th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Omega Prayer @ bandcamp
Hits: 1530
Language: english

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