From The Abyss – Chaos Supremacy
Cuba
Vrykoblast Productions
From The Abyss is the fourth Cuban band reviewed for this webzine, and I must admit that I am thoroughly impressed with the Cuban scene, despite the fact that it remains a communist state today. “Chaos Supremacy” is the band’s third full-length album and was released by Vrykoblast Productions from Singapore.
Musically, their sound falls somewhere between old-school and modern death metal informed by bands such as Morbid Angel and Bloodbath. (Yes, I’m wholly aware of the fact that other reviewers have also cited these bands, but the comparisons are undeniable!) The album maintains a very firm mid-tempo for the most part, which gives way to some slower passages. The vocals are very well balanced in the mix, including the fact that they are quite comprehensible. A top performance for sure! There are some interesting clean vocal parts that add variety, although they might not be for everyone. Fortunately, I don’t mind them, since they sound more like doom vocals than anything else, and doom is cool. What to say about the riffs? Well, for starters, these guys are very (and I mean VERY) adept at crafting awesome bona fide death metal riffs taken straight from the Covenant era textbook, BUT from a slightly different angle, and moulded into their very own brand of unholy Death Metal. Of course, the production gives the whole thing a very modern feel, although there’s almost never a shortage of depth, which makes “Chaos Supremacy” enjoyable to listen to. Added to that the totally sick artwork that adorns the cover. Definitely check them out if you enjoy bands like Necros Christos, Charon, Morbid Angel, and so on. Darkness prevails in Cuba and From The Abyss is proof of that! (HT)