Outre-Tombe: Abysse Mortifère

Outre-Tome formed in 2010, released their first demo in 2012, and followed up with new full-length albums in 2015, 2018, and 2021. With each new release, the band has attempted to look forward and backward at the same time. Not only do they draw gleefully on early work by Grave, Nihilist, and Asphyx, but they also push themselves in ways that make everything a little more grotesque, brutal, and deadly. The result is something that could nicely fit alongside the death metal of the past while also feeling like something new. This kind of creative tension between past and present is appropriate for a band from Quebec City, a fascinating place where people can experience almost everywhere a similar playful tension between past, present, and future.

Even though I’ve discussed the band’s tendency to look backward, I don’t want to give the impression that there’s anything unusual about that. Some bands deliberately shun their influences while others embrace them as gleefully as possible. There’s nothing necessarily wrong about either approach. Some music tries to press beyond what came before it while some other music wants to see what else the past can do.

Other reviewers have mentioned that the band’s lyrics are all in French and how that makes a difference in the listening experience. I didn’t think much of that point until I listened to the album. After all, lots of bands perform in French, so why should it matter? The answer comes clearer once you listen to the album. The lyrics are performed in a cross between a despairing rasp and a desperate yelling and somehow it all sounds that much darker in French. I don’t mean that disparagingly. The French spoken in Quebec is lovely and unique and cool, but it has the potential for rough edges that this band plays nicely.

I’ve been focusing on some of the different qualities of the album, but I can’t neglect a few comments about the music itself. As I listened to this album, I heard a band absolutely determined to sound dark and sepulchral. In some ways, it sounds like something awful chasing after you when you’re alone, scared, and unlikely to escape. I suppose it is properly called death metal, but there’s something slightly unhinged about the way it occasionally exceeds its own limits and then turns into an unrelenting cry of rage and despair. As exciting as all that can be, the downside is that it all blends together a bit.

For the most part, the album succeeds beautifully. Some listeners, however, will not appreciate its overall production. It often has a muffled quality, one that gives the whole thing a strange sense of distance. I think this was done deliberately, if only to give the whole thing the feel of an old demo that has suddenly surfaced after several decades. It works pretty well, especially since the lead guitar parts come through nicely. I liked “Desossé,� “Cenobytes,� and the title track best, but there’s plenty more to enjoy.

Track Listing:
1. Abysse Mortifère
2. Cenobytes
3. Coupe-Gorge
4. Desossé
5. Exsangue
6. Tombeau de Glace
7. Haut et Court
8. Nécrophage
9. Haruspex

Added: January 21st 2022
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Bandcamp Page
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Language: english

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