Amputate - Abysmal Ascent

Angry Metal Guy 40

Written By: Nameless_N00b_85

The indiscernible line between inspiration and imitation plagues writers, musicians, and artists of all stripes. While the Wormeds and Ulcerates of the world continue to ask what it means to be death metal in a modern context, entire scenes have sprung forth to celebrate the sound of the olde and trve, with the name of the game being “bigger and better” rather than raw innovation. Swiss band Amputate finds themselves in the latter camp, poised to uncork a letter to the old school in the form of third album Abysmal Ascent. Their sophomore made its way through these very halls, with Doom et Al describing their efforts as “recycled.” This description poses an ironic challenge to this reviewer as we dive in to see whether Amputate has forged something with their own identity. Or, whether I must strive to not copy and paste my great predecessor’s review and be done with it.

The biggest improvement Abysmal Ascent offers is the production. In an about-face from the overly clean and blandly polished Dawn of Annihilation, Amputate have opted for an older, more direct approach. All guitars are recorded straight from their amps, and vocals have minimal effects, making the entire project sound pleasingly raw and organic, like a discount Vomitory or Gorement. This helps Amputate’s more chunky moments where their HM-2 flags fly highest (“Abysmal Ascent”, “Sepulcro”), with vocalist Tom Kuzmic doing his best “We have Erik Rundqvist (Vomitory) at home” approach. His growls, never going beyond competent in their extremity, are clearly piped straight from voice to recording, adding a layer of appreciability in their organic presentation. The DR of 7 allows bouncy, harmonized leads to shine (“Cavernous Temple of the Absurd”) as well as add thunk to the occasional bass solo (“Malevolent Manifestation”). Everything is catchy, deliberately designed, and inoffensive.

Inoffensive, however, best summarizes the whole of Abysmal Ascent. Amputate stretches a reasonable runtime of 39 minutes into a bland sheet of beige-colored audio that seems never-ending in its haze of riffs. The solos are enjoyable, melodic, and well-executed, and also enter the ears and leave the mind as soon as the song concludes (“Extractive Monolith”, “I Am Genocide”). It is telling that instrumental “Hybrid Organism” is the most interesting song on the album—not because of any weakness of the vocals, but because it forces Amputate to stretch their songwriting wings just a little bit. Otherwise, their insistence to adhere to the spirit of OSDM is their undoing, as each song sounds carefully constructed to sound like a facet of greater bands before them. From the crowd-friendly chorus of “I Am Genocide” to the last gasp of energy in sub-two minute closer “Perpetuum,” all of Abysmal Ascent gives off “good local band energy.” You’re sure they’re destined for big things one day, but also ready for them to get off the stage.

This is disappointing because the members of Amputate are no slouches in their individual performances. Nuno Santos and Kuzmic do plenty of tinkering, working with 12/4 time signatures (“Malevolent Manifestation”), speedy tech-adjacent licks (“Sepulcro”,) and good old-fashioned Swedeath sustained chords (“Abysmal Ascent”, “Extractive Monolith”). It is in these slower moments that the band has the smallest whiff of an identity, as the heavier chords allow solos and leads to have a tad more impact. These moments are fleeting, however, and even the most memorable of these—for my money, the chorus of the title track—washes away in the hustle and bustle of blandness by whatever track follows. Abysmal Ascent is an album of excellent ingredients, deliberately concocted into a fine-sounding tribute to better bands before them. And not one of the generous number of listens I’ve given this album has unearthed anything approaching memorability, identity, or repeat play value.

Ultimately, Abysmal Ascent is an etch-a-sketch of an album, each song shaking and erasing the one preceding it, leaving the listener empty and unmoved. It’s clear that Amputate has ambition and passion; what they don’t have are the riffs. They lack the ball-crushing groove of Gatecreeper, the sinister atmosphere of Frozen Soul, the rabid bloodthirst of Vomitory, or the unique melody of Tomb Mold. Instead, they slot neatly in with the Entrailses and the Beheadeds of the world—bland and offensively inoffensive, nothing more. An album with a filthier production, a greater emphasis on songwriting, and developing a sense of identity for themselves would do wonders for their admitted performance capabilities, but discerning lovers of the old school should look elsewhere.



Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Massacre Records
Website: facebook.com/amputateofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 11th, 2024

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