Given how awesome Belgian waffles and beer are, it only makes sense that the country’s metal bands are the same as well; specifically, the gore-lords of Aborted. Aborted has a consistently unique sound that always raises the bar for bands all across the metal world. Unrelenting and unyielding, they bring their A-game with every track. Following this trend, Aborted’s new album ‘RetroGore’ is yet another addition to a very solid discography. Following up ‘The Necrotic Manifesto’, ‘RetroGore’ feels like a seamless evolution of their musical prowess without the compromising of their unique sound.
‘RetroGore’ starts with a very strange sound clip that sounds like it was played on an old-school record player; the one you’d see in a museum or your grandparent’s place. It’s over pretty quick, and before you’ve even had time to catch your breath, the album is taking takes off like a bat out of hell. The title track “RetroGore” starts off fast and heavy with the classic Aborted vigor and the tormented screams of Sven de Caluwe. I love when albums start off with incredibly fast-paced riffs and blast beats. Ken Bedene is an absolute monster behind the drums, ripping through blast-beats like a knife through hot butter.
“Woremageddon” is easily one of my favorite tracks off the album. It bounces back and forth from fast tremolo-picking to slower, groovy riffs. The dynamic between the two guitarists, Bij de Leij and Ian Jekelis, makes for a much more complex and multidimensional sound as opposed to a flat, boring sound. One of my favorite riffs off ‘RetroGore’ has to be the intro to “Termination Redux”. It hits hard and has this fantastic, quick groove that gives me chills every time.
Something I always feel that needs to be mentioned is the overall production quality of any record. Going back to ‘Global Flatline’ and even farther, we have seen a consistent level of production quality that still somehow manages to get better with every new record. My only qualm with the mix in this album though, is that the bass is buried underneath everything else. There are brief moments where it cuts through, but I feel like JB Van der Wal gets stiffed in the mix, relegated to the lowest end of the auditory spectrum where he just melds in with the guitars.
One of my favorite parts about any Aborted record would be the sound clips they seamlessly incorporate into their tracks. I wish I was able to know where they’re all from, since they pull clips from all over, but I was able to pick out one sound clip from the American TV show, ‘House’, which was exciting for me because it was a quote I knew and loved already!
The bottom line here is pretty sweet and simple. Aborted has yet again dropped another incredible album. They’ve maintained their signature sound without recycling old material, which is a trap even the biggest and best bands are susceptible to falling into. ‘RetroGore’ is everything that fans have come to know and love about Aborted, with all the trimmings and unique things they do. ‘RetroGore’ is a savagely brutal record and a heavy contender for one of the best death/grind records of the year.
