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artist: Wombbath
title: Beyond the Abyss
year: 2025
genre: Death Metal
type: Album
label: Pulverised Records
language: English
rel. date: 2025-03-14
source: WEB/MP3
quality: CBR 320kbps / 44.1 kHz / Full Stereo
runtime: 00:42:19
size: 101.82MB
rip date: 2025-03-13
source url: http://deezer.com/album/713890961
tracklist:
1. Intro 1:00
2. Words Unspoken 4:03
3. A Symphony of Dread 3:44
4. Discord of Doom 4:01
5. Beyond the Abyss 5:00
6. Malevolent 5:08
7. Faces of Tragedy 4:14
8. Deep Hunger 4:30
9. The Damned and the Slain 4:33
10. Consumed by Fire 6:06
release notes:
A decade beyond their emergence from an overgrown and long-forgotten
graveyard Sala, Sweden-borne death metal quintet WOMBBATH have begun
peering deeper, bravely into the portals beyond with each release. Now
arriving upon album number seven having achieved their most focused
and distinct recording in some years theyÆve found some appreciable
distinction which exceeds the usual trappings of early populist
Swedish death metal movements. Smartly centering their craft around
their membersÆ strengths and honing eerie atmospheric dread, symphonic
accoutrement, and a shock of doom from them æBeyond the Abyssæ is nigh
eclectic per the bandÆs usual standards as they condense the bevvy of
ideas found on their previous record into one fascinating enough
pillar of dread-filled, grimy æold schoolÆ inspired yet not so
ancient-minded death metal.
Wombbath officially formed circa 1990 after having dicked around with
covers (as The Shadow) before changing their name to Siezure and
pulling in two more members. The reality of idolizing lost gems,
nostalgic times and whatnot is that we often lose sight of the actual
context, or, impact of an artist in their own time so it is worth
mentioning that these folks were pretty damn young and probably the
only decent band out of the Sala area (check out the somewhat related
Disgrace tape æThe Last Sign of Existenceæ, and Tragic Serenadeæs
tapes were alright too) who could more-or-less write a decent death
metal song. For many their first demo tape (æBrutal Mightsæ, 1992) and
the 7" that followed (æSeveral Shapesæ, 1992) stand out today as
something not so typically aligned with the popular sound of
Scandinavian death metal at the time, at least in the sense that they
didnÆt sound like Dismember or Entombed outright. Despite having been
in the right place at just about the right time their debut LP
(æInternal Caustic Tormentsæ, 1993) met the same fate as many of the
infamous Thrash Records/Infest Records stable (Megaslaughter, Epitaph,
Excruciate, etc.) in that it was largely ignored, viewed as ôslowö and
generic by most lasting accounts. It is an interesting spin to return
to for its mid-paced, chunking riffs and deeper vocals though theyÆd
never quite struck upon the profundity of say, Gorement or God Macabre
for my own taste.
The nail in the coffin for the 1990-1995 run of the band was
æLavatoryæ (1994) a unique death nÆ roll/gothic death metal EP thatÆd
been their quick ôinö for Napalm Recordsà who didnÆt even bother to
acknowledge the discarded album the band demoed for the label before
splitting. Rumors of how bad that EP sucks are exaggerated by death nÆ
roll standards, the worst parts are just weird prog-death Faith No
More goofinÆ shit which is nowhere near as bad as say, Electrocutionæs
(Italy) funk metal EP or whatever. The ex-death metal kid sellout
garbage fire was burning so high worldwide at that point itÆd simply
gone unnoticed alongside Wombbathæs prior gear. At that point
guitarist Hσkan Stuvemark formed melodic death metal band In Thy
Dreams alongside folks would would go on to form Armageddon and Carnal
Forge, they were (once again) largely viewed as generic though IÆd
recommend taking a detour to their first EP (æStream of Dispraised
Soulsæ, 1997) if youÆre big on the No Fashion adjacent melodic death
metal of the time. I find all of their stuff very good listening; The
point(s) to be made here is that [1] There is some cool æold schoolÆ
Swedish death metal linked to this name. Weird kids making brutal,
eerie death metal music. [2] Very little of this obscure history has
factored into the revival of the band from Stuvemark beyond 2014
beyond some re-recordings via æTales of Madnessæ (2020).
Wombbath have released six albums in the last ten years and the
biggest hype came with their return with a sophomore LP (æDownfall
Risingæ, 2015) sporting a Boss HM-2 busted sound which had little to
do with their original gig and brough in some folks from The Absence
and now longtime collaborator Jonny Pettersson (Just Before Dawn,
Human Harvest, et al.) consider it less of a ôcomebackö and more of a
generalist hit of Swedish death metal nostalgia. From that point
theyÆve tempered the guitar tone, incorporated more melody into their
work and done everything they can to work up some atmospheric interest
from album to album, none of them major standouts for my own taste.
The most recent record from the band (æAgmaæ, 2021) was a whopping ~72
minutes long and attempted to expand their ouevre, reaching into a
glut of generica and pulling in some blackened death elements amidst
keys and all manner of ôwhatever sticksö at that point. IÆd no real
reason or interest in checking out æBeyond the Abyssæ based on what a
mile high stacked nothing-burger the previous album had been. So, IÆll
get it if youÆre not up for another Swedeath buzzer from a zombified
brand resurrection with creative diarrhea in mouth but after spending
a couple months with this record I have to admit it kinda rules.
Rather than suggest a full paradigm shift in terms of songcraft or
evolutionary traits carrying on IÆd say quality over quantity is the
major shift from æAgmaæ Ætil today, at least in the sense that æBeyond
the Abyssæ takes those experimental nodes spread across the previous
LP and uses them as prompts for most all of its nine core pieces and
expands upon them while keeping it doubly succinct, clocking in under
~43 minutes. The lead single/title track (ôBeyond the Abyssô) hinted
at some of this, taking a few of the tricks theyÆve been toying with
for a while (such as the use of violins to mimic a riff progression,
see also: ôSymphony of Dreadö) and set it next to good old Swedeath
trample which to me has a punkish but also kinda early Hypocrisy
feeling to it thanks to a not-so HM-2 bombed guitar tone. Opener
ôWords Unspokenö has a sort of melodeath (the Dismember way) tinge to
its trade between groove heavy kicks and chorale-boosted lead
sections, piquing my interest with its tremolo picked dagger of a main
verse riff, some æNecroticismæ-esque bent to the rhythmsà and we find
a more immediate and deliberate Wombbath surfaces when their ideas are
honed down to their biggest impact.
Instead of getting just another Swedish death metal chunk and roar
chipping through a few cool ideas each of the songs on æBeyond the
Abyssæ reaches for an idea, some manner of differentiation between its
pieces. Some of these ideas are stronger than others, such as the
almost self-descriptive ôDiscord of Doomö where theyÆve married some
dissonantly rung riffs into a bleakly melodic roll of a song and a
guitar sound IÆd particularly enjoyed. I donÆt know if IÆd necessarily
compare that moment and its surrounding burst of ideas as Edge of
Sanity-esque, even their second album was more adventurous in some
respect, but I do appreciate that Wombbath sound inspired on this
record, or, at least ready to reach for different ideas, eerie and
ugly sounds (ôMalevolentö) where I feel like we get more impact from
both vocalist/guitarist Petterssonæs compositional hand expanding and
utilizing the broad skill set from guitarist/violinist Thomas von
Wachenfeldt (Wachenfeldt) beyond the few more challenging pieces found
in the bloat of æAgmaæ.
Not every song hits, though, as the sleepier crunch through ôFaces of
Tragedyö and the slightly grating peak/endpoint of ôConsumed by Fireö
are just along for the ride when sidled next to either too similar or
more immediately compelling songs. ôDeep Hungerö is probably the most
ear-grabbing piece on Side B most of which lean into the ôsymphonicö
or keys/violin juiced movements (not exactly æSymphony Masses û Ho
Draken Ho Megasæ but you get the idea) and overall IÆd found this was
a strong point of unification for the album/listening experience as a
whole which is surprisingly coherent despite having three songwriters
sharing the duties.
While I donÆt know if IÆm ready to call myself the biggest knock-down,
squealing and spitting Wombbath fan just yet IÆll admit that where
theyÆve arrived after ten years of work is far more interesting than
where their second life began. The filthier, darker atmospheric vision
upheld within æBeyond the Abyssæ feels like it addresses the need for
both variety and consistency in an appealing way while providing some
of their most doomed and melodic peaks to date. Otherwise theyÆve
always done well to curate their records with decent cover art and the
grotesque image from Julian Felipe Mora Iba±ez (re: the most recent
Consumption album) impresses for its rotten color palette, odd horizon
line and Fuseli-referenced incubus as an appropriately busied and
death metal apropos image. If the goal was to keep one foot in their
rooted past and one hand pointing toward current standards theyÆve
done a fine job of focusing on their best attributes within album
number seven.