What's this? Another band name that I cannot read because their music is so brutal and heavy, their name/logo has to be too? Yes, another crushing brutal album for you twisted children who prefer their vocals in their metal to give a more guttural tone that draws upon influences similar to rectum excursions. It's certainly not for everyone.
Since 2012, this one man slam act Infecting the Swarm has been wallowing ankle deep in his basement full of blood, turning out fantastic slab slam riff riddled music that will evoke physical reactions of indigestion, achy joints, and wet pants as the crushing grinding riffs fall like concrete bulkheads from a building being demolished.
The melodic slams and complex transitions, along with the forcible wet gutturals, result in a consistent depth of music that is what all slam fans hope to find. Hannes, the master mind from Germany and his science fiction influenced extreme metal does a great job at instrument arrangement and composition, as well as hitting a solid stride with mood and consistent sound through the entire album.
One complaint I do have is the production and how clean and precise it is. Although the technical aspects of the music and futuristic theme of science fiction that is also commonly used in technical death metal lends itself to a more polished sound, I prefer my slam to still have some dirt under the nails left over from previous grave rootings. Although a minor complaint in retrospect, this is a solid album, and even with slam being a sub genre that struggles finding its replay value, Abyss by Infecting the Swarm has the technicality and strong personal identity to leave that glossy saliva-like slug trail imprint on your mind.
The next time some confused youngster defines heavy by the amount of breakdowns and solos that are in a song, buy them a copy of Abyss, and explain how it's the perfect escape that will immediately take you back to your dark lonely basement.
Score: 7/10
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NX56nuVJqc[/youtube]
