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Sunday 21 April 2019

A View From Another Country: Aborted (Live review by Charlie Rogers)

Aborted, Cryptopsy, Hideous Divinity & Torturous Inception, The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn

The perfect addition to any holiday is, of course, an evening of high quality music. So when my better half noted that this show was happening during our trip to the big apple, it was immediately added to the itinerary. After a brisk walk from the subway, we stumbled across the Knitting Factory with plenty of time before doors opened. After spending this time in an interesting (read: decorated like an explosion in grandma’s living room) Belgian bar, we entered the venue in time for the local opener, hoping for more pitting than knitting.

Hailing from Staten Island, Torturous Inception (6) opened the show to a handful of enthusiastic fans, eager to lap up the local lads’ particular breed of New York death metal. We checked these guys out before departing from the UK, and were looking forward to hearing the material in real life. Unfortunately, the band seemed a little deflated, perhaps due to their regular drummer being unable to make this show and having a stand in at extreme late notice, or perhaps due to the poor sound quality that made it hard to make out anything other than kicks and vocals. Props to the drummer for attempting the material at such short notice - he wasn’t totally spot on, but it was a solid effort nonetheless. The parts that we did manage to pick out were executed well, and you can tell there’s potential for this band to go a long way in the death metal scene. In particular, frontman Tyler was entertaining and a great vocalist. His interaction with the small crowd was slick, cracking wise between the songs in a comedic self-deprecating manner that everyone enjoyed. The band clearly have a strong local following, with a few eager onlookers calling out for specific tracks such as Dominion. All in all, I hope to see this band again in a different setting, so that they can get a fair shake of the stick.

Up next, Italian death metal heavyweights Hideous Divinity (8) brought the show up to the boil with their highly energetic style. Launching into material from across their three studio albums, it’s hard to tell from this show in isolation that this band is actually on tour. With no sign of fatigue, the riffs and blastbeats relentlessly came at us from the stage. In particular, Giulio Galati’s drumming was absolutely monstrous, delivering an ear pounding that set the stage for the insane drum line up that we were lucky enough to be on the receiving end of that evening. Maybe the intensity of the drums were actually a little much however, as there were moments where the guitars were hard to pick out, calling back to some difficulties they experienced during soundcheck. Vocalist Enrico Di Lorenzo cut through the onslaught with his outstanding and dynamic roars, holding the audience captive with his performance for the most part. Despite the high energy and dynamism, the songs did tend to feel like they erred on the lengthy side, sometimes losing momentum towards the end. Perhaps a focus on shorter, snappier, tunes would’ve held the audience captive for longer, but the musicianship on show was outstanding nonetheless.

Canada’s finest gore masters Cryptopsy (9) took the energy from Hideous D’s performance and turned it up a notch. As the band launched into classics from their seminal album None So Vile, such as Slit Your Guts, Phobophile, and Orgiastic Disembowelment, it transformed the audience into a whirring throng of chaos. It was clear from the crowd’s response that the tracks from this era were better received than the newer material, but the tracks from their latest release The Book Of Suffering: Tome II still kept the crowd moving. An outstanding performance from all members, Matt McGachy’s terrifying vocals soaring across the insane soundscape and did the older material justice, highlighting his versatility as a frontman. Olivier Pinard’s bass playing showcased just how important the instrument is in extreme metal, and of course, Flo Mournier’s supersonic drumming always makes me question whether he is indeed a human being, or some sort of 30th century Canadian drum machine, sent back from the future to decimate posers. A stunning display of technical ability and musicianship, Cryptopsy undoubtedly deserve the adoration they receive.

Closing out the show with the gravitas it needed, Belgian bruisers Aborted (10) brought the blast beat party to it’s splattery climax. Diving straight into Terrorvision, the five piece opened the show with blistering tempo and maintained it for the duration of the set. Unbelievably so in the case of bassist Stefano Franceschini, who has been on double duty for the tour also playing in Hideous Divinity. Like Cryptopsy before them, Aborted have an extensive back catalogue of tracks to choose from, and have masterfully crafted a setlist that highlights the insanely high standard of material they have produced over the years. The pace doesn’t let up, sweeping from Meticulous Invagination through to The Holocaust Incarnate, then finishing up with The Saw And The Damage Done. The crowd gave it everything they had and pitted with untapped gusto, to the extent where my better half was thrown across the stage stairs not once but twice, and yet this did not deter her from headbanging like a maniac. This mix of older and newer material did not phase the crowd, and energy levels remained insanely high for the entire show. This energy was mirrored in the band, with Sven furiously pacing back and forth across the stage, headbanging and feeding off of the atmosphere. His vocals were fantastic, as was his between songs banter, dealing with heckles quickly and with unbelievable wit.

In my opinion, Sven is the top frontman in extreme metal right now, and you’re doing yourself a disservice by not going to your closest Aborted show. He leads from the front, and the rest of the band fall in behind him, with stunning displays from both resident guitarist Ian Jekelis, and touring stand in Harrison Patuto from Vale of Pnath. The addition of a second guitarist while they search for a permanent replacement for Mendel Bij de Leij is very welcome, and is an improvement on their performance I caught back in Bristol in December with only one guitarist. And what can I say about Ken Bedene’s effortless drumming other than just “wow”. This tour package really is an exhibition of incredible drumming, and Ken brings it to a fitting close. Ending the show with an encore of Retrogore, Aborted have shown how modern death metal should be done, they are a well oiled machine and should not be missed.

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