Saturday, August 15, 2009

ABACABB - Survivalist (2009)

Formed in October of 2004, ABACABB quickly built a strong fan base up and down the eastcoast. After a few small line up changes, ABACABB is back and stronger and heavier than ever.
Survivalist (2009)
Abacabb apparently get thier name from the code one uses for the game "Mortal Kombat" that turns "blood" on. While their music is somewhat brutal, it hardly deserves to be equated with Mortal Kombat. Overall this album didn't blow my head off, but it wasn't as bad as say, "At the Throne of Judgement" or the "Black Dhalia Murder"; two other crappy deathcore bands. No this album wasn't THAT terrible. The intro on the album is quite creepy, in that nu-metal kinda creepy way. Then the album kicks in and all traces of KoRn are gone. Instead Abacabb play the "nu" trend, deathcore. It combines the also popular "moshcore" of Hatebreed and Terror, with the death metal of the 90's. Think breakdowns and sludge riffs instead of technicallity and fancy solos. The vocals also tend to follow a joint path; they have shouts as well as death grunts. One neat thing about Abacabb is that their death grunts sound similiar to the Acacia Strain, and are actually quite low for a "core" band. The lyrical themes on here are certainly not new, with tales of teenage angst and "my girlfriend just left me!!!" running rampant throughout. But what the band lacks in originality they slightly make up for in brutality. Of course as I mentioned earlier they aren't too brutal, but enough to keep your head banging and your fists pumping. Guitars are d-tuned to the floor, and the drums just plod along with it. It creates a really thick sound, so if you're into sludgey stuff, you may just like it. I wouldn't say that these guys are the best of the deathcore genre, but they do pull off a somewhat interesting album. At the end of the tape (a 10 minute closing track!), Abacabb return to the nu-metal creepiness of the intro, trying to capture a lonely feeling I suppose. Certainly feels placed well and does effectively close the album. Overall I can't say this is the best deathcore tape, but it is good for when you just wanna rage or mosh all night. Pick it up if you're into following the "nu" trend, if you like Slipknot and Terror, or if you just wanna bang your head cuz your girlfriend pissed you off.
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Posted by wurm at 8/15/2009 10:17:00 AM