ABSU - Abzu

The Texan band exists since the late 80's, although starting from a different style of extreme Metal, and this is their latest release, following their highly successful self titled release of 2009. This time, there are not as many guest appearances as with their previous album but this doesn't affect the music at all. The band is playing Black Metal if you want to tag their music, but there are much more to it, that will please fans of other styles as well. First of all, their music contains huge amounts of Thrash, from the riffs to the tempo, and this is something very enjoyable. What is more important here, is that the music has a variety in styles that prevents the listener from having the feeling that it's repetitive or boring. There are melodies here and there, that enrich the whole result, the vocals vary from screaming high-pitched Black Metal to slower and more ritualistic forms, and the music in general seems to adopt various elements and explores new territories. This is more obvious on the last track of the album, which is a 15 minute tune, with the band showing their performing and composing skills. The production is very good, it's clear and powerful enough, but also preserves the mysterious atmosphere that the band has created with their music. The album is a journey from Black Metal blastbeating to Thrash headbanding and mysterious places of the earth, with the transition being made so natural that the listener will be amazed.

9/10