Review by Carl on March 9, 2024.

Abdicate is one of those bands that seems to have been around forever. Granted, they've had periods where there wasn't a lot of action going on, but the band always came bubbling up again, to strike without mercy. It's an approach that I can certainly appreciate. Well, as long as they keep producing solid death metal albums such as this.

The band has its roots firmly in the 90's, with the technical proficient yet brutal style of US death metal bands such as Malevolent Creation, Broken Hope, Monstrosity and Suffocation at its roots, making them related to other acts in the same vein such as Waco Jesus, Dyscrasia, Lividity and Deaden.

And just like those bands mentioned, Abdicate deal in aggressive death metal, without window dressing or odd surprises, aside from the semi-acoustic intermezzo "Resurrection of Ancient War" perhaps. Their style has all the aspects that have become staples of brutal death metal present: a furious low growl, sickening down-tuned riff work, and tracks that go from blasting ferocity to midtempo stomping sections and back again, with a track like "Dormant Path" making excellent use of this approach. The music in its totality is delivered with intensity, aggression and violent intent, and while it may not be anything the seasoned brutal deathbanger has not heard before, it will not disappoint the fanatics out there. Abdicate know their trade, and deliver on any expectations that one might have concerning this album.

The production sounds massive, especially the guitar work. It makes the music come tearing out of the speakers like mad, and deals some serious punches to the listener. The drum sound does have that typical 00's kinda digital edge to it, which isn't all that, but at the same time I realize it could've been a lot worse. It does not distract from the whole, and it leaves the brutal and dense atmosphere intact.

This is a more than cool effort that blends great playing with aggression and stomp, even showcasing some traditional old school elements to spice things up. If it's late 90's/early 00's grinding brutal death metal that floats your boat, this album (and the rest of Abdicate's output, for that matter) comes highly recommended.

Rating: 8 out of 10