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ABHORRENT DEFORMITY
Slaughter Monolith

Comatose Music (2018)
Rating: 7/10

Three years ago, North Carolina metal misfits Abhorrent Deformity released their rather average debut offering Entity Of Malevolence. Now, the quartet have returned and reaching out to those with a penchant for brutal death metal circa Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse et al.

In a sense, Slaughter Monolith is very much more of the same, straight down the line punishing death metal, which at times is delivered with rather mechanical fashion as we get soaked in familiar gore-laced nastiness in the form of ‘Sexually Transmitted Coma’, ‘Ripped From A Mother’s Mutilated Womb’, ‘Of Blood And Cum’, ‘Swamp Of Intestines’ and other tales of horror. But, it’s all been done before, hasn’t it?

Having said that, Abhorrent Deformity are far more effective as a mid-tempo force; a song such as the aforementioned ‘Sexually Transmitted Coma’ works so well with those sinister vocal barks and weighty pattern shifts, all the while the combo remaining heavy in their deviance and yet not just blasting with sonic blurs.

‘Three Piece Flesh Suit’ is another fine example of the band in good form as the percussion rumbles with intensity and the guitars remain gnarly, but without getting too blustery. After all, so much of this style of grinding, gore-laced death becomes all too quizzical and manic, but there are many examples on this opus of a band keeping things tight and well-structured.

I’m sure there are those of you who may not care for such technical tempo alterations, and instead have a craving for out and out brutality. If so, then you may enjoy the variations of, say, ‘Ripped From A Mother’s Mutilated Womb’ or ‘Vermin Burial’, but even then the outfit maintains that steady, almost groove-based dynamism, and so well done to the guys for keeping things a tad more simple than some of the overly complex and jarring mish-mash you’ll hear within this genre. Sure, there are pacier segments dotted throughout this blood-coated landscape, but I’d much rather revel in the dark, foreboding intricacy of ‘Unspeakable Perversity’ than be hammered into submission by too many blurts of confusion and scurrying.

In spite of doing what it says on the tin, Slaughter Monolith is certainly a step up from the debut slab. The feeling of a less feverish and frantic approach means that Slaughter Monolith is a far darker and potent platter whereby inventive riffs, blustery leads and jagged percussion is still allowed to exist within the subjects on the whole. It’s certainly not a blisteringly original composition but as Mark De Gruchy’s beckoning growls lead us through this foul-smelling abattoir, I’m more than happy to wade through the waste with them.

Neil Arnold

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