For almost thirty years, Aborted have unleashed slaughter, upsetting little, sensitive ears that hunger for violence. Despite countless line-up changes (the musicians that Sven de Caluwé has recruited could fill an intercity bus), the band have always written at least decent albums without degrading their quality for long periods.Even on less successful records, you could find moments of excellence that you’d keep as part of your musical expeditions into vulgarity.
Aborted seem tο have settled on their sound and way of exhibiting their perverted, medical narratives.“Global Flatline” was a turning point that enabled them to fix the derailment that had occurred earlier, setting themselves back on their initial tracks. Since then, they’ve moved safely in known territories with loose brakes, shredding the listeners’ flesh and ears through precisely executed, inhuman, brutal death/grind metal.
The recipe of “Vault of Horrors” remains more or less the same. As foretold by the hideous cover art, the band engage in their familiar technical death brutality with full force and fast tempos, embellished with groove sand grind strokes that sadistically “disturb” the peace of insouciant minds. This time, I notice an inclination towards melodic motives, with Aborted providing sufficient space to Konráðsson’s patterns (e.g., “Dreadbringer”, “Hellbound”, “Malevolent Haze”), a tactic that fits perfectly in this techno-pandemonium.
It’s evident that the songwriting is thoroughly taken care of and improved compared to “Terrovision” and “ManiaCult”, which didn’t last in the long-term. Contrary to these albums, you’ll find songs that will stay in your mind, like the addictive, powerful “Death Cult” (Decapitated are somewhere in there…). Of course, the album may not be as technically demanding as “Retrogore” (the most outstanding album in Aborted’s last decade), but all band members’ mathematically (or surgically) precise performances don’t go unnoticed.
Especially Ken Bedene’s demolishing work behind the kit is phenomenal (he’s already been with the band for fourteen years), being a manifestation of how the respectable quantities of blast beats that the core element demands should be dealt with. The violence of the rhythmic patterns is a proclamation of what Aborted have taught all these years; sometimes the riffage may sound typical, but it conveys the true meaning of core-ism and grind (what else did you expect in “Death Cult”, “The Shape of Hate” or “Hellbound”?).Indeed, Jekelis’ and Konráðsson’s detailed work is essential in forming this decayed, post-apocalyptic essence. However, Aborted’s enduring value lies behind the mic; de Caluwé is tireless after all these years, like he’s trying to surpass himself in “gutturality” levels with each album. His growls, along with the guests’ contributions in each song, add a lot to the whole perversion (definitely, he remains one of the best voices in the genre).
The usual Nuclear Blast production in such cases is responsible for the clear sound we hear. Many listeners accuse Aborted of becoming a “polished” or “plastic” band, but under a different approach, we’d probably experience nothing more than a chaotic, hammering din. Anyway, the insanity of “Goremaggedon” (in terms of composition and production issues) won’t be repeated, so what’s the reason for still talking about that?
As “Vault of Horrors” ends with the excellent “Malevolent Haze”, combining bone-crushing themes and decayed melodicism alike, you feel pleased to hear Aborted spreading gore again. The album, despite its quality, won’t be unforgettable for the simple reason that Aborted can do even better, but it doesn’t deserve to be ignored either. Essentially, the band had the opportunity to “meat” their fans again through a work that keeps them on the foreground after some rather fruitless years.
♦ 7,5/10
Alex Nikolaidis
