<IMG SRC=http://www.hmas.org/reviews/covers/a-h/aborted_archaic.jpg ALIGN=RIGHT>Official Aborted Website
Label: Listenable records
Rating: 9/10

Tracklisting
1 - Dead Wreckoning
2 - Blood Fixing the Bled
3 - Gestated Rabidity
4 - Hecatomb
5 - The Gangrenous Epitaph
6 - The Inertia
7 - A Cold Logistic Slaughter
8 - Threading on Vermillion Deception
9 - Voracious Haemoglobinic Syndrome
10 - Descend to Extirpation

The Belgian butchers are back! After last year's blazing Goremageddon album Aborted have eased up on the pace a bit and thrown in a few midtempo sections for good measure. The new album is still every bit as relentless though and once again Aborted reign supreme! The Archaic Abattoir was recorded at Denmarks Antfarm Studios and accordingly the sound is absolutely crystal-clear yet menacing. I know a lot of you grindfreaks out there prefer your grind "old-school" and raw, but to me this particular style demands a pristine production in order to make it an enjoyable listen. The instrumentation needs to be held separate in the mix or all that you're left with is total chaos.

Enough with the production now and on to the musical craftsmanship instead. The Carcass influence still stands out, as on previous outings, but this time around it is less Symphonies of Sickness and more Necrotism.../Heartwork. The guitarwork is more melodic and prominent and at the same time the pace-shifts lends the material a more accessible edge - if grind can ever be considered accessible of course. Aborted are gifted with the same ability Carcass had, the ability to write memorable yet devestatingly brutal metal. "Dead Wreckoning", "Blood Fixing the Bled" and "The Inertia" are nigh on borderline hummable.

If you're into bands like Exhumed, Cephalic Carnage and of course the aforementioned Carcass, or just brutal metal in general, Abroted should be right up your alley. A brilliant album that once and for all solidifies Aborted's position in the extreme metal world!

GRRRRRINDS YA DOWN!

-Stefan Lejon