Album Review: Abrasive - Edge of Darkness
Reviewed by Daniel Phipps
Abrasive are a veteran band of the German death metal scene, who with a series of releases behind them along with a number of live appearances inside and outside of their homeland the band are set to release Edge of Darkness. With Edge of Darkness the Abrasive aim to take the next step forward with the progression of the band's sound to the next chapter.
Abrasive play a very traditional style of brutal death metal which is packed full of catchy grooves similar to bands like Severe Torture and early to mid Cannibal Corpse. As well as the heavy dose of groove the German band also ensure that Edge of Darkness is packed with a series of grindy riffs to add to the album's groove and give you something to really bang your head along with.
Tracks like “Bleed For Us” and Edge of Darkness, finest track “Bizarre” give the best overall examples of this combination of grind and groove as both tracks offer a great contrast between the 2 elements giving off pure power along with some of the more catchy vocals on the album. Abrasive offer a dual vocal effort with guitar player Ralf Köhlee handling the more guttural vocals and bass player Alex Ringwald handling screams. With Edge of Darkness Abrasive also add more variety to their songwriting with the use of slow churning riffs at times to keep your attention.
On the whole Edge of Darkness is well performed however there are a couple of moments during the album which are lacking and are a bit underwhelming however these are overall minimal. The grindy sections which are featured on the record are solid and in honesty could have been used a bit more during certain songs to give some extra depth. The bands showcase a very honest sounding record and the classic style of death metal that they perform is catchy and its a sound which will always find a home with fans of the genre.
