Abythic – Beneath Ancient Portals

Band– Abythic

Album– Beneath Ancient Portals

Country of Origin– Germany

Genre– Doom/OSDM

Release date– May 11, 2018

Label– Blood Harvest Records

Author– Dying Cletus

As I slowly nod my head in rhythm to “T.H.O.N.” wearing an “I just shit my pants after green curry for lunch” sneer on my otherwise handsome mug I wonder to myself: Why…nay HOW is this record so satisfying? The Bolt Thrower riff worship coupled with the Asphyx mantra of “A good riff can never be repeated too many times”, the audible dirt in the very well-done mix, the rasping growl; All this has been done ad nauseam and never more so than in light of the recent resurgence of the OSDM genre.

The answer is much like choosing between a beautifully prepared Cobb salad rife with the freshest ingredients and a double cheeseburger with fries from the local greasy spoon: Sometimes you just want something that feels good. But enough about food. Let’s get to the meat of this burger (Maybe a little more about food).

The first track is your garden variety OSDM/doom intro, signaling the vibes and nuances to come. Which is to say heavy, dark and dirty. The first half of the record is serviceable in it’s navigation of this well-trod path, keeping within the slow to mid tempo range and occasionally breaking into D-beat sections to give urgent transition into the next lurching, plodding riff. But right around “Redemption Through Soul Transfusion” is where you can hear the band start to put more of their own twist on the ideas gleaned from the aforementioned classic masters. For my money, “T.H.O.N.” is as good a song as I’ve heard from this genre.

This isn’t to say you should skip through half of what is a damn good release because you’ll be missing out. As soon as the intro gives way to “Purulent Phantasm” it sets a deceptively brisk tone before tossing you into the slithering, sinister, very Gavin Ward like tremolo-picked crypt of “Abandoned Tombs On Ungodly Grounds”.

Those in search of groundbreakers and tastemakers need not apply. But be it a satisfying slab of dirty, spooky death-doom you seek, I say enter within.

Recommendation: Do you like good death-doom with old school sensibilities? If so, get on this. If not, I do not wish to know you.

Rating: 3.5/5