This is where Slaughter The Giant dwell.
Slaughter The Giant is a no-frills, five-piece outfit hailing from Belgium, and on their sophomore album Abomination, they’ve decided to open the floodgates to hell. Six songs, a sheer 30 minutes of pure sonic carnage that will leave your speakers smoking and your neighbors' dogs unionizing to demand hazard pay for the hearing trauma. Think of it like a sledgehammer to the face - but one that’s expertly honed to feel like a brutal yet satisfying experience that leaves you craving more. Additionally, after seeing them live at their Abomination album release show in early November, I can confidently say from first-hand experience that this band can effortlessly turn venues into human blenders. By the time it’s over, you’ll be wondering if you’ve just attended a concert, or survived a natural disaster.
Released on At Dawn Records (a label known for housing acts such as Envig, From North, and Svavelvinter), Abomination is a thrilling ride through the darker corridors of melodic death metal. The band has fine-tuned their vicious blend of melodic riffage, technical drumming, and blackened atmosphere. From the moment the opening track “Nothingness” hits, it’s clear Slaughter The Giant is here to destroy, blending high-speed aggression with moments of surprising melody that cut through the chaos like a chainsaw through wet tissue paper. The album doesn’t waste anyone’s time; it’s relentless and unforgiving, like a bulldozer plowing through an IKEA showroom.
Vocalist Benny Ubachs is a true force of nature on this record (and a downright beast live on stage, where his intensity often felt like he could singlehandedly tear the whole venue apart), spewing venomous growls and shrieks with the kind of frenzy that could probably knock over a brick wall. He doesn’t just scream for the sake of screaming - each guttural roar feels deliberate, like he’s channeling every ounce of rage he can muster. Also, the drumming is absolutely bonkers: imagine a possessed drum kit being played by an angry Viking-warrior who’s just discovered caffeine, and you’re close to what he’s doing here. The sheer power of the rhythm section is what holds everything together though, giving the album a sense of intensity that’s as suffocating as it is exhilarating.
What’s really striking about Abomination is the way the band has delicately dialed up the atmosphere without compromising their core sound. The addition of carefully selected symphonic elements, like eerie organ lines and subtle keyboard flourishes, creates an extra layer of dread, making this album at times feel like a death metal symphony performed by the devil’s own personal chamber ensemble, all blended together in a clean and powerful production that allows each instrument to shine, but also enhances the raw energy and intensity of the performance.
In just under 30 minutes, Slaughter The Giant's Abomination leaves you with your head spinning and your ears ringing. It’s a compact but devastating album that showcases the band’s mastery of melodic death metal with a side of chaos and a sprinkling of blackened fury. There’s no room for fat or filler here - just pure, unrelenting metal that slams your skull against the nearest wall from start to finish. The kind of release that demands to be played loud, repeatedly, and ideally with a neck brace handy.
