Band:	Aborted
Album:	Coronary Reconstruction
Style:	Brutal death metal
Release date:	January 14, 2010
Guest review by:	vezzy

01. Coronary Reconstruction
02. From A Tepid Whiff
03. Grime
04. A Cadaverous Dissertation
05. Left Hand Path [Entombed cover]

Let's face it. Aborted aren't really going to return to their well-known abrasive and explosive style of brutal death/deathgrind we know and love, à la Goremageddon and Engineering The Dead. They've taken a more dulled down, melodic death path, while still retaining their brutality, even though it just doesn't live up to their early days.

What we have here is this year's new EP by them, Coronary Reconstruction through Century Media. This is a digital EP and only 1,000 physical copies were made. That said, it is pretty much the spiritual successor to Strychnine.213. We have two vocal styles like in its predecessor: the raspy growl and the weak, somewhat deathcore-esque shout. The sound is definitely loud and raging. It is also a bit rawer, losing the groove vibe which was present in their previous effort. Although what's especially notable is the completely new lineup with the Goremageddon-era drummer Dirk Verbeuren having returned.

Yet sadly, it is only a shadow of their signature work. It really seems like they tried to recreate it but in the end you get a rawer Strychnine (the melody is here to stay, but at least it isn't keyboard bombardment or forced to you). This isn't necessarily bad that they try to experiment more, no not at all, we actually still have grinding guitars, even if not as intense, but the problem is it sounds washed up and already done many times. It can't hold out on its own, despite its shining moments (parts of "Grime" and "A Cadaverous Dissertation"). Verbeuren does a good job as well. Blast beats, fills, plenty of good parts, but that doesn't help much as the guitar is quite high in the mix (this also means, you guessed it? largely inaudible bass).

In conclusion, although Sven insists that this is a return to their old school style of grinding death metal, that doesn't seem to be the case. Unless you're a die-hard fan or enjoyed their efforts from Slaughter and Apparatus and beyond, I wouldn't recommend it beyond a Last.FM listen if you're curious.