Aborym

When my editor-in-chief handed over some 15 albums to be reviewed about a month ago, I didn't really check what was into the package until about a week later (I had too much backlog work to be done first before I could concentrate on something else), and found myself somewhat dumbfounded at finding the new Aborym album in there. Surely, he knew that this band had Black Metal ties? Then I saw on the info sheet that they were described as “the Industrial/ Electronic forefathers of Extreme Metal”, and that indeed put the play in my ballpark, because he knows that I am indeed partial to both Industrial Metal and Electronic music! Nevertheless, I went in search for possible reviews by my Death & Black Metal specialist colleague, and was somewhat surprised at finding that this is the first time an Aborym album was to be reviewed through our website. Which kind of made me wonder where and when I had come across this band, because I have no material by the band in my personal collection. So, off to gathering the necessary info I went, and sure enough I found the answer to my quest. Let's however do things in a chronological order, and start with the history-of-the-band, eh?

Originally, the Italian band from Taranto, Apulio was formed in 1993 by Malfeitor Fabban, then bassist in Funeral Oration and keyboard player for the band Memory Lab, and started out playing covers by the likes of Sepultura, Rotting Christ and Sodom. The name, by the way, was taken from Haborym Sadek Aym, overseer of the 26 legions of Hell in a 17^th Century grimoire. Along with guitarist Alex Noia and drummer Mental Siege, the band recorded its first demo Worshipping Damned Souls that same year, but split up soon aterwards. Fabban went back to concentrating on Funeral Oration, until he reformed Aborym in 1997 in Rome, the new line-up sporting singer Yorga SM and guitarist David Totaro. Aborym's second demo Antichristian Nuclear Sabbath was recorded that same year, and in 1999 the band struck a deal with Scarlet Records for the release of debut full-length Kali Yuga Bizarre, which featured guest vocals by Attila Csihar (and you see, this is where I got my anwer to the question of where I'd come across Aborym before, because a few years back I did a review on an Attila Csihar album!), well known in the Black Metal scene for his work with Mayhem, Tormentor and Plasma Pool. Following Yorga's departure from the band, he was to join Aborym fulltime. Around that time the band also recruited second guitarist Nysrok Infernalien Sathanas (of the band Satanikk Terrorists).

The band's sophomore album Fire Walk With Us was extreme well received by the media upon its release in 2001, with UK magazine Terrorizer leading the pack, although most critics díd put forward that to the purists, Aborym would be too electronic to be liked. 2003 album With No Human Intervention (this time released through Code666) sported several guest appearances, and got the same positive critical treatment. To release follow-up album Generator, the band signed onto the bigger label Season Of Mist in 2006, but before the album was recorded, some line-up changes delayed procedures, as Csihar left to rejoin Mayhem, and Totaro moved to Sweden to join the reformed Dissection, later to join Watain. Csihar (whom would still do guest vocals on one song of the upcoming album) was replaced by former Mysticum and Amok singer Preben “Prime Evil” Mulvik, and for the first time the band also employed a non-electronic drummer in the form of former Emperor's Bard G. Eithun (and then still with Blood Tsunami, later also a member of Mongo Ninja). Despite the line-up change, the album was well-received...but further line-up changes were on the wait!

In July 2007, long-time guitarist Nysrok Infernalien Sathanas left, stating that his approach to working, living and thinking had become out of sync with that of the band. Not much later, Mulvik also departed, to concentrate on things in his life which then had priority. In 2010 the remaining duo of Fabban and Eithun recruited guitarist Paolo Pieri (of Hour Of Penence; whose stage name would be Hell:IO:Kabbalus), and set to recording the band's 5^th album Psychogrotesque (which was announced as consisting of one single track) with several guest musicians [including Narchost of Fabban's other band Malfeitor, and Timewave Zero's Richard Szabo – the latter had already contributed to With No Human Intervention). In October 2012, the trio that now is Aborym entered the studio again to record what became their 6^th album to date.

Marking the band's 20^th anniversary, Dirty is a true swirling rollercoaster of an album. The tempo is really neck-beaking, although atmospheric passages are also heard, and there's really plenty of breaks and tempo changes throughout the album. The electronics and occasional glitch sounds bring an eerie touch to the whole which, if indeed put down by Black Metal purists, is only a proof of those people's short-sightedness! Fabban adds to the versatility by using his voice in different modes, going from the usual Blackened screams to actually clean singing, from harsh to soothing! By all means, put this band on an equal stand as Ministry, but on a more disturbing and frightening level! Having announced the recording of a special song for the band's 20^th anniversary, the guys are adding a second CD to the album, which comprises remakes of the band's old songs “Fire Walk With Us” and “Roma Divina Urbs”, covers of Iron Maiden's “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and Pink Floyd's “Comfortably Numb” (both are given an exhilarating Electronic overhaul), and Nine Inch Nails' “Hurt” (which I cannot compare to the original, as I don't think I've come across it yet)...and the completely new track “Need For Limited Loss”. But, and here's the rub, the second disc is only to be available on the digipak and vinyl versions of the album, and prior to the album's release date only via the label's on-line services.

If you've never heard material by Aborym before, then by all means get acquainted with some older material at either (www.) myspace.com/aborym666 and/or (www.) facebook.com/aborymofficial. Same songs as on the facebook page can also be found at (www.) reverbnation.com/ aborym, where among the videos you'll also find a “Making Of” teaser for the Dirty album.. Don't bother to check out the band's own website for songs off the current album, because (www.) aborym.it only sports an add for the new album, with no links provided what-so-ever. Possibly the situation changes after the actual release date, but I'm afraid that for the time being you might have to make due with the possible 30-second samples usually provided by your trusted online sales websites. Great stuff this, and worthy of my uttermost appreciation...