We
at the Sludgelord are extremely excited and grateful to the folks of Sentient
Ruin Laboratories to announce the exclusive stream of a monolithic release, a
collaborative release in every sense of the word from two of Italy's finest,
most forward-thinking and heaviest sludge/doom/post-metal bands around these days,
namely Abaton & Viscera///.
Abaton is a
project created in 2009 and the characteristics of the sounds are a mixture of
obscure and gloomy doom and sludge, with powerful hardcore openings. The ultimate purpose of the band is to create dark and meditative atmospheres, to scratch the most introspective and oniric side of every individual. Viscera/// are an italian psychedelic
metal trio. Their style gathers the experiences of post HC, 70's space rock,
drone and ambient, in order to create an intimate and extremely personal
view of heavy music. So with that description firmly in mind this is what the
folks at Sentient Ruin had to say about this groundbreaking release
‘This 7" vinyl EP Titled
Diade(ms), is the collaborative EP manifestation of the
wills of both bands to materialize a synergistic, interwoven, and multi-layered
work, in which the two bands become fused together into one multi-headed
hideous sonic monstrosity, to materialize and represent their own vision of
complete aural annihilation.’
A
Co-release with: Hypershape Records (IT), Insomnia Isterica (CH), Bare Teeth
Records (ITA),Drown Within Records (ITA) and Dio Drone (ITA), Unquiet Records
(PL). This is set for release on 23rd
June and will be available here
Find out what we had to say about the record below about the record
‘Diade(ms)’, track listing:
Side A: Special
Needs (05:31)
Side B: Pandemic
(06:21)
Review:
Of
the common split, a true collaboration is indeed a rare thing. Today, we have a
coSLABoration between 2 Italian extreme music juggernauts: Abaton and
Viscera///.
This
is a very sludgy, very caustic slice of extreme metal from across the Big,
Blue, Wet Thing, all the way from the Roman Empire. Being a true collaboration,
both bands had contributions to each others songs, without either overpowering
the main band. So, Viscera/// is the major artist on track 1, ‘Special Needs’,
with a bit of credited help from the guys in Abaton, and vice versa for the
flip track, ‘Pandemic’. And while both are very extreme, they do have their
differences.
On
‘Special needs’, the music and tone is quite a bit more frantic, almost playing
with a panic to the song. The vocals are just the most evil sounding rasping
screams, carrying a blackness and depravity in tone alone. The track is just
evil, with lyrics of selling ones soul, for what sound like nefarious reasons.
It's ridiculously black metal in a sludgy format. The bleakness of the vocalist
bleed into the guitar, with a harsh, jagged tone hammering at you. Alternating
at different points in the track, Viscera/// do like to slow it down a bit,
then speed up to drive the nails in deeper. Its a very destructive give and
take throughout the 5 and a half minutes it jabs at you.
From
there we reach the slower, and just as heavy, Pandemic by Abaton w/ Viscera///
adding some touches. Still have the blackened feel to the song, with a tone and
vocal delivery, but it's slow, much slower than ‘Special Needs’, It feels more
gritty to the ear, with more effects giving a space like a cavern, black and
unending. The vocalist has that severe rasp, pretty much the entire run time.
He uses it to strip the skin out of your ear cavities, as the guitars and drums
just chew through you.
Of
the two tracks, this one wins my pick, just because it’s that little extra that
catches my fancy, due to just that slow building horror they capture so well.
Fans of extreme, caustic, bleak metal pay heed, this is very much a combination
you don't want to miss at all!
Words by: Hunter
Young
For more
information:
