Aborted – Vault Of Horrors

Written by on 20-04-2024 at 09:29.

One Belgian, two Americans, an Icelander and an Italian walk into a recording studio. What initially sounds like the start of a joke quickly turns into a visit to an underground torture chamber. After almost thirty years of hard work, Aborted releases the next massive slaughter festival in the form of Vault Of Horrors. This is not for the faint at heart. These grandmasters of brutal smear and filth do not compromise on their chopping and slaughtering work on their twelfth album, but also manage to show their most diverse side. Meanwhile, bassist Franceschini left the band just before the album’s release, but only after the string work had been completed. With guitarist Daníel Máni Konráðsson we find another newcomer in the ranks. Well, we have been though the personnel announcements and we can focus on the musical content.

For those who don’t know Aborted yet (probably not many) here’s a brief introduction: this band originally from Belgium was founded in 1995, which almost gives the chance to celebrate the pearl wedding anniversary between Sven Caluwé and himself (after all, he is the only remaining original member). In those thirty years, the band has managed to steadily work its way to the upper echelons of the genre with a synergy of brutal death metal and grindcore. With album number twelve the band is among the veterans of the metal landscape, without really deviating from the proven method. However, this Vault Of Horrors pays great tribute to the sources of inspiration from iconic horror movies (see the album cover for some hidden references) and some major bands from the genre. With that, they also rely heavily on the current times by adding a guest vocalist from some of the leading bands of these times and some grandmasters with a somewhat longer track record to each song.

The first guest contribution comes from the very talented Ben Duerr (Shadow Of Intent) on the opener Dreadbringer. This song was already heard at an earlier stage and was on repeat for almost four weeks on the stereo of your editor. At five and a half minutes we immediately have the longest song on the album, but not a single second is boring. The ominous opening, the pounding blast beats, the grooving, pounding parts and the tasteful solo are all something to enjoy with your blood-stained fingers. Ben Duerr’s impressive vocals are the ideal complement to Sven’s. Perhaps the most tasteful, however, are the ingenious contributions of newcomer Konráðsson. You might know him from the technical death metal band Ophidian I. That band will bombard you with pure guitar excitement, but here on Dreadbringer only the most necessary elements remain. That provides a very pleasant addition to the musical palette and makes de song as a whole extremely interesting. We do find this in other tracks, which in a very subtle way leaves a significant mark on the album. And that in a most positive sense.

A quick look at the previous three paragraphs, and the fact that only one song is discussed there, makes me realize that the pace needs to be picked up a bit. Something that Condmended To Rot (with guest appearance by Francesco Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse)) does extremely well with machine gun drums flying around. Just like the time: move on to Brotherhood Of Sleep, where the roaring riffs initially predict a straight-line pounder. However, the chaotic passages and pounding breaks provide a varied song, where this time Johnny Ciardullo (Angelmaker) is the vocal crayon with dirty deathcore vocals. We stay in deathcore corner with Alex Erian (Despised Icon) on the previously released Death Cult. It is telling that this – as one of the lesser songs (read: more generic) on the album – is still a very pleasant demolition tour.

With Hellbound we have have reached one of the many highlights of the album. With the lightning fast drums and technical guitar playing we find similarities with bands like Cattle Decapitation. So much brutality and at the same time so much control: a golden combination. When Matt McGachy from the iconic Cryptopsy joins the ranks the party is complete. Very impressive. At least as impressive is the intense horror on Insect Politics, where grindcore is embraced in all its glory. Somewhere halfway through, a Slipknot-like riff kicks in (at warpspeed, of course), which makes it impossible to keep a straight face.

After this wave of violence the album transitions effortlessly into two songs which, together with Dreadbringer, compete for nomination for best song on the record. The Golgothan, with contribution from Hal Microutsicos (Engulf), is a song full of dynamics that relies heavily on technical death metal. However, the ominous undertone and grooving riffs make the whole thing very compelling. On The Shape Of Hate the tempo goes through the roof once again, where the technical versatility of newcomer Konráðsson is also very well expressed. The pounding rhythms know how to massage the ear canals completely smoothly, because this is simply ear-pleasing. The guest appearance of Oliver Rae Aleron (Archspire) and his spitting vocals complete the whole thing and are the icing on the cake. Musically speaking, the last two songs, just like the guest vocals (David Simonich from Signs Of The Swarm and Ricky Hoover from Ov Sulfur), fit more into deathcore corner again. They end the album powerfully and in style.

Aborted releases a strong album with Vault Of Horrors! On this the band sounds like a bunch of young dogs, partly due to the introduction of a can of fresh roaring violence. The pulverizing tendencies are reflected in brutal death, grindcore and perhaps more than ever in the deathcore regions. The technical additions of guitarist Konráðsson provide a tasty addition and color to the musical compositions. This ensures that despite the brutal butchery there is also a lot of beauty to discover which only seems to increase after a few listens.

 

Score:

90/100

Label:

Nuclear Blast, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Dreadbringer
  2. Condemned To Rot
  3. Brotherhood Of Sleep
  4. Death Cult
  5. Hellbound
  6. Insect Politics
  7. The Golgothan
  8. The Shape Of Hate
  9. Naturom Demonto
  10. Malevolent Hate

Line-up:

  • Sven de Caluwé – Vocals
  • Daníel Máni Konráðsson – Guitar
  • Ian Jekelis – Guitar
  • Stefano Franceschini – Bass guitar
  • Ken Bedene – Drums

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