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Abysmal Dawn - Obsolescence review




Bandcamp music player
Reviewer:
7.0

60 users:
7.83
Band: Abysmal Dawn
Album: Obsolescence
Release date: October 2014


01. Human Obsolescence
02. Perfecting Slavery [feat. Christian Muenzner]
03. Inanimate
04. Devouring The Essence Of God [feat. Bobby Koelble]
05. One Percent Incomplete
06. Loathed In Life / Praised In Death
07. By My Demons
08. Laborem Liberat Te
09. The Inevitable Return To Darkness
10. Night's Blood [Dissection cover] [bonus]

Too often modern death metal bands seem content to imitate genre originators ala Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse or Deicide. Hence, it is refreshing to hear a band that plays traditional death metal and somehow manages to come across as reasonably unique. And, with Obsolescence, Abysmal Dawn do just that.

Sure, it's not mind blowing, it's certainly not innovative, and it's not even an awesome example of traditional death metal. Occasionally it does delve into clone territory with some sections harkening back to Bloodbath and Immolation, as well as occasionally delving into derivative technical death metal.

It is, however, a reasonably satisfying affair with lots of great chunky riffs. The song writing is proficient enough, and they occasionally come up with a real memorable song like "Inanimate." The band does display a bit of variety which keeps it interesting; they effortlessly go from almost Kataklysm-esque grooves to brutal blasts to mellow bits, and it's technical at times but not in an irritating or overblown way. To close the album off, there's a cover of Dissection's "Night Blood" which adds some melodic black metal elements in.

The mix is quite good. Too often modern death metal bands amp up the drums when compared to the guitars but Abysmal Dawn rightfully keeps the guitars up in the mix. The sound is also not sterile, another of this reviewer's pet peeves in the genre.

Charles Elliott does his best in showcasing that he should have been the next vocalist for Bloodbath as opposed to Nick Holmes. His voice is very much in the vein of Pete Tägtgren or Mikael Akerfeldt, and he would've fit in perfectly on Bloodbath's new one.

So in the end, Obsolescence is an enjoyable if unspectacular affair. It does show signs of potential greatness. Provided all their ducks come in a row, Abysmal Dawn could be coming up with a classic of their own next time around.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 6
Production: 7

Written by deadone | 28.10.2014




Comments

Comments: 10   Visited by: 166 users
28.10.2014 - 03:03
Rating: 8
MetalDoomMaster

I was pretty happy with this album as well. Definitely a fun listen, was banging my head all the way through, which is really all you can ask for from death metal like this.
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28.10.2014 - 04:10
Malignar

I don't know I'm incredibly bored by this. More american death metal sounding than the review is letting on. The grooves are kinda homey yo coreish. I see almost zero similarity to this and bloodbath.
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28.10.2014 - 08:11
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
Very good review.

Well, Relapse Record dropped this record in my e-mail saying "crushing, highly appraised album with giving fellow American death metallers run for their money". It was good to see those bold letters flashing on my screen below the bandcamp link. Then I realised 2011 release(Leveling The Plane Of Existence) was tremendous release. I still have that album in my laptop.

I need to check out this record. It looks stepdown from their previous output but doesn't look disappointing at all.
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28.10.2014 - 12:31
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Sorry, was just a bit confused here, first you said it's "reasonably unique," then that it's "not innovative." I guess you don't have to be innovative to be unique, just made me scratch my head for a second though.

*Never really checked these guys out, but I have seen Charles Eliot live on the original Death To All tour in Orlando where he was doing vocals.
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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28.10.2014 - 13:44
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Malignar on 28.10.2014 at 04:10

I see almost zero similarity to this and bloodbath.

Yeah I haven't listened to the whole thing (quite bland stuff) but I don't get much Bloodbath either. Not sure it's even necessary to dedicate a "paragraph" to what Bloodbath should be doing with their vocalist.

And yeah, relatively unique but not innovative and delving into clone territory? That's some mixed messages right there. It's not a great review tbh, I don't think it represents the music going on here very well at all.
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28.10.2014 - 14:34
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Problem is even the most generic, copy-cat band is "unique" and identifiable in some way because they write songs that others haven't (because that would be plagiarism) and can be recognised by vocal sound, guitar sound etc. It's not a useful distinction imo.
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28.10.2014 - 22:47
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by deadone on 28.10.2014 at 14:30

A more obvious example is Testament - not really innovative in the 1980s but generally have their own identifiable sound.

Fair enough
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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08.01.2015 - 00:25
Machiavelli
Account deleted
Written by deadone on 28.10.2014 at 14:30

Written by Auntie Sahar on 28.10.2014 at 12:31

Sorry, was just a bit confused here, first you said it's "reasonably unique," then that it's "not innovative." I guess you don't have to be innovative to be unique, just made me scratch my head for a second though.

*Never really checked these guys out, but I have seen Charles Eliot live on the original Death To All tour in Orlando where he was doing vocals.


Yup, I don't associated uniqueness with innovation.

Unique (in this context) - Having your own identifiable sound.

Innovative - Doing something new that no-one else has done before.

A more obvious example is Testament - not really innovative in the 1980s but generally have their own identifiable sound.


I think you guys have got the words innovation and invention mixed up. Invention is something totally new which AD is not... but they innovate on the older death metal sounds to create what seems like a slightly different angle on those older sounds. I am biased because I'm a sucker for groovy death and thrash metal.
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08.01.2015 - 01:27
Rating: 7
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by deadone on 08.01.2015 at 01:19
Funny - I agree with you on AD having their own sound and being a sucker for groovy stuff, but not on the definition of innovation which I view same as inventiveness.

Not to get further off-topic, but innovative has more to do with bringing new ideas to an already existing thing whereas inventive has more to do with original thought.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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08.01.2015 - 02:19
Machiavelli
Account deleted
Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.01.2015 at 01:27

Written by deadone on 08.01.2015 at 01:19
Funny - I agree with you on AD having their own sound and being a sucker for groovy stuff, but not on the definition of innovation which I view same as inventiveness.

Not to get further off-topic, but innovative has more to do with bringing new ideas to an already existing thing whereas inventive has more to do with original thought.


That's is actually what I was taught in a technical communications class that I took in the 90s... I only got a C+ in the course so my credibility might be suspect on the topic.
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