Verthebral - Abysmal Decay (EN)

In the beginning of their new album Verthebral start blaring bashfully. "Ancient Legion" is the name of the first song on "Abysmal Decay", with which the Paraguayan death metalheads want to delight us at the end of the year. The start is on fire!

The "Art of Perversion" follows and it is a very likeable song with a change of tempo and a decent break. Still, the very artificial female howling, with which the listener's ears get confronted, does not even fit the title and for me it a rather bad choice.. That's a true no-go. What did they think - or better: how nasty must the trip have been? It is a pity that such an incision can interrupt the listening pleasure so roughly. How diverse would the song be without this howling !? Fortunately, as can be seen on the entire disc, Verthebral can supply catchy tunes that, despite their catchiness, do not lose their hardness. The strings are cut in style, the drums get maltreated and the growls that can be heard are deep and fitting. A number of deliberate changes in pace are always present. The classic Verthebral do everything right!

Until the end of the album, death-metal lovers will be delivered decent riffs. The desired overall package is on point. A small "but" nonetheless: In the long run, some songs seem a bit tiring. Nevertheless, the South Americans can be filed under clear attributes: brutal, rousing and straight. It's also great how small details are fit inconspicuously but neatly into the song lines. An example would be the dirty, underground laugh at minute 4:24 in the song "Abscence Of A God".

A little note about "Isolation Room": the song develops completely differently than the small beat sequence at the beginning suggests. Later the song loses a bit regarding its line, which is a noticeable thing of the Paraguayans from time to time. That is why the whole album gives us bumpy moments and little pitfalls with the result of choppy passages.

Verthebral repeatedly create elements on the disc that are difficult to hear. Is that good or bad? The curious thing is that in some places it sounds just as fantastic as it seems unsuitable. These passages could have been a little less, but that's not a fundamentally bad criterion of "Abysmal Decay". "Coronation of Envy" and "My Dark Existence" are really good song examples. While the first one is a fine mixture for the hard-stuff loving listener, "My Dark Existence" invites you into dark parallel worlds. A frenzied double-bass inferno meets sombre-carrying riff melodies and Christian Roja's demonic growls. The drum finesse also has to be praised, especially in "Sweet Home Illusion" the beat structures give the song construct a positive tension.

Conclusion:
An honest and well-founded disc with favorite pieces and small cruxes. The recording quality of the disc is not too differentiated and therefore gives it a slightly unclean charm, which should, however, please fans of traditional extremes. The overall interplay is quite good, the transitions weaken only in some places. Despite a clear positioning for the traditional game, the four Paraguayans lure with a breath of fresh wind which might be brought upon by the South American temperament. There is definitely no bad song, but on the other hand there are also only a few moments which are really outstanding. However, being middle class would be a result that would not do the album justice! That is why "Abysmal Decay" is one of the neat discs that should be bought and that expand your own collection with really great approaches and traditional flair.

Rating: 8/10

Recommendation: Abysmal Decay, Coronation of Envy, My Dark Existence