Review Summary: Omnicide is a groovy step up from past releases, while still upholding the intense speed, precision, and quirky production that has defined the band.
If there's one thing that stands out in the world of underground Death Metal, It's got to be originality. Being original is a very good thing. It seems as if the next big band is only mirroring the sound of another. Now I'm gonna be honest here, Abysmal Torment are not one of the most unique bands in this particular musical sphere, but their deliverance and natural progression from album to album is quite evident, and they seem to be taking a turn for the better, beginning to define their own sound.
Abysmal Torment's debut EP "Incised Wound Suicide" was your standard Brutal Death Metal effort, and it pretty much sounded like everything else available at the time. The first full-length "Epoch of Methodic Carnage" was actually much better and more refined, still the outfit from Mala never really found a sound they could call their own. That was three years ago, here we are in 2009 and it finally seems Abysmal Torment have cemented their place among metal-head's, well, a small group of them anyway.
Omnicide is 45 minutes of Brutality. From start to finish the relentless onslaught of music never slows down and for the most part, everything sounds pretty well put together. The production is, for the lack of a better word, interesting. Every instrument sounds pretty hollow and empty, though it very slowly starts to grow on you and it all sounds pretty cool in the end. The drum snare sounds like someone took a pencil and repeatedly hit a block of wood with it, the vocalist sounds like hes underwater, etc. This might annoy some listeners, but the whole overall sound of the album is excellent and the guitar work is splendid. The tone is very ominous, and does well to compliment the many grooves and tremolo picked riffs throughout. There are some very catchy tunes to be found here, and you will find yourself coming back to songs like "Omega", "Supreme Tyranny in Putrescence", and "Chronicles of Gouged Eyes" quite often. Though the use of pig squeals and monotonous breakdowns are still present, they aren't used as much, and when they are, they sound decent enough.
The bass on the album is almost non existent, which has been a problem with the band since the aforementioned EP up to now. Their just is no bass, plain and simple. It would be interesting to to hear Omnicide with an emphasis on bass, the riffs would possibly have a certain appreciable depth in relation to some bass-lines, though the album already poses a striking deliverance in sound. The Drumming on the album is, for the lack of a better word, addicting. You will find yourself coming back to many tracks on the album. The production in unison with the guitars create a very loud kit, one that is loud and surprisingly easy to listen to. The snare comes off being very light and contains a similar 'popcorn' sound that is used by bands such as 'Deeds Of Flesh' and 'Disgorge'. The drums are perfectly audible, and the drum pedals give off that 'typewriter' sound when double bass is utilized.
Even though Omnicide isn't exactly spectacular or mind blowing, Abysmal Torment seem to be heading in the right direction by writing somewhat solid, memorable songs that you can go back to once in awhile. Check it out if you wanna hear something slightly original, pretty damn brutal, and at times extremely enjoyable.
Standout Tracks:
Omega
Colony of Maggots
Supreme Tyrant In Putrescence
Chronicles Of Gouged Eyes
