Album Review: Abraded - Ethereal Emanations from Cthonic Caries
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Now and again Abraded release material; such occasions are for rejoicing given the quality of death metal Abraded have rapidly garnered, and with another two years eclipsed they’re seeking to release their third studio album. Abraded began life in 2018 out of Ohio, United States, immediately gifting audiences their first Demo: Descendants Of The Swamp. Though another three years would pass before their first album released, their self-titled album quickly put Abraded on the map, followed by a Compilation in 2022, and a second record in 2023: Unadulterated Perversity. Now fulfilling a cycle of a new record every two years, Abraded return now with Ethereal Emanations From Cthonic Caries, releasing it via Redefining Darkness Records. With a September 26th release window in mind and some beautiful cover art to boot, I was hyped to dive in to see what Abraded had cooked up this time. It’s also Abraded’s first album to successfully carry over its full band lineup from one record to the next so let’s see how that impacts this record’s quality.
As if barely any time has elapsed since Abraded’s last record they throw you right into the thick of it; there’s no stretching for Abraded hurl you into an instant sprint with blast beats accompanying crunching riffs all the while their vocalist spews this guttural, primal delivery with utter abandon. Championing a fusion of death metal and Grindcore it shouldn’t come as surprise why Abraded give you no quarter for given their track lengths they don’t have time to waste with nuanced pieces, they need to get you on the zone immediately so you’re in board with the rest to come. It’s also fast, so fast they rip whatever fingers may be clinging on to the surfaces with bludgeoning effect; if Abraded feel you’re withstanding the onslaught they put that to right. There’s no respite.
I liked how the drums have been produced here for as they play you can’t ignore the tinny sound they produce. Since the band are geared towards great speeds too that in turn results in drumming that can hardly keep up with itself without losing all control. When blast beats are utilised the tinny rattling becomes a metronome their drummer and yourself are going by, raising the intensity, the sweat upon your brow and the tempo all the more, amplifying the savagery already boiling within the riffs. What I wasn’t expecting were gravity blasts, they’re not thrust into your face but you’ll have this sudden realisation of what you’re experiencing. They throw the already carnal chaos into even greater, searing nightmare as the record assumes this blistering, rupturing aesthetic. The drums ultimately elevate Abraded’s work here to hellish depravities.
For as vicious as the riffs are I doubt they’d hit quite so ruthlessly had the bass work not been so chunky. Initially one may struggle to pinpoint the effect of the bass within a record so weaponised towards killing, but once you hear the basslines isolated, and where they’re placed in the mix, you can’t help but pick them out and recognise their importance. The basslines are thick, they inhabit the mix like a tiger hiding away, priming themselves for a strike. You’ll also find the riffs use the basslines like a springboard, where they’ve been injected with additional strength given the added bass infused within the mix.
I have to respect how little fanfare Abraded apply to their songwriting. Due to the nature of their sound, they aren’t about to break the mould and suddenly fish out something more nuanced, there are other bands for that, but the sheer apathetic malice Abraded subject us to is startling. You could almost perceive the record being recorded in one uninterrupted, seamless performance given how tracks succeed one another with the minimal time between them. As you proceed you’ll find this isn’t a record that will hold your hand for its chords, when the guitar work releases these massive slabs, feel detrimental to your health yet it’s that very devastation that is the reason you can’t keep away. If you were to show me a physical copy of this record I’d be asking where the barbed wire was, for it exudes a danger whereupon merely grasping it is due course for terrible harm.
In conclusion, this is a hellfire record that’s bound to trigger some spontaneous combustion to someone down the line. Ethereal Emanations From Cthonic Caries is a beast that charges right out of the gate and does not stop again until it’s done its lap and returned inside; there’s absolutely no mercy from Abraded and never do they give you a chance to recover for every song succeeds and heightens the previous intensity you withstood. Following its climax you’ll feel totally windswept as you process just what precisely took place, but like a matador egging on a bull you’ll be seeking that adrenaline out in due time. It’s certainly an album you enjoy and, as a first time listener of Abraded, I would like to go back and check out their back catalogue now.
