Abominator – The Fire Brethren (Anti-Christian Evil Metal)

 

I feel like a lot of reviewers are going to refer to this as a “relentless assault on the senses,” or some regurgitated nonsense of similar form. Stop with the platitudes, please. I’ll admit, that’s difficult when you’re dealing with a blackened death metal band that’s been doing their thing for over thirty years. Like, what else can you say? “Signature blend” of such and such? “Infernal chaos” and all of that? “Blistering guitar riffs?” Perhaps a little of that “thunderous drumming” gobbledygook? I’d rather analyze what we have before us, rather than tie too much into their past, because Abominator are certainly true to their history, but what can they do for us today is another story. That should be our primary concern, always.

   

The Fire Brethren is the band’s latest full-length, and it’s been ten years since we were gifted with their anti-Christian, dark and evil power. Abominator was one of the most important acts in the aggressive new wave of Australian metal in the mid-1990s, but, again, what does that mean today? A hell of a lot. It’s rather simple to explain in that destruction, rebellion, and impending doom always have their place in human experience. Perhaps I’m being a bit pedantic, but the fact is this is a simple approach. Not simplistic, but simple in the sense of familiar. Abominator maintain a strong energy throughout their latest drop here, and it never reaches monotony. The pure, wild fury for which they’ve been known still beats in their veins, but it doesn’t feel antiquated, it feels rather contemporary. They’ll give you a chance to take a breath now and then, but The Fire Brethren shows even old boys can grow, yet still while shrieking into the listener’s face to remind them that evil does, in fact, exist. That doesn’t need to change.

 

Abominator (Cemetery Urn) Official Instagram

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Abominator – The Fire Brethren
Hells Headbangers Records
Cover Art: Chris Moyen
4.5 / 5