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Abyssal separate themselves from the UK extreme metal pack through their oppressive sound, secretive tendencies and steadfast refusal to adhere to sub-genre distinctions. Their last album, 2013’s Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius, features not only a technically complex, relentlessly paced take on death metal, but also moments of sparse experimentation that would feel less out of place on Brian Eno’s Ambient 4: On Land than on, say, a Morbid Angel record.

Profound Lore will release Abyssal’s third full-length, Antikatastaseis, on June 24th. If the previously-premiered opening track “I Am The Alpha And The Omega” and this newest song, “Telomeric Erosion,” are anything to go by, this LP will find the band looking to refine the formula they developed on Novit while heightening each aspect of their signature style.

In “Telomeric Erosion,” Abyssal first drop into a dissonant death metal groove but manage to move onto mournful, even melodic (!) riffs that recall blackgaze; they proceed to end with surprisingly meditative drone. The track stands out because none of this sounds remotely forced: it is as though Abyssal is trampling genre boundaries because the particular concepts and emotions they wish to express require them to do so.

Stream the “Telomeric Erosion” below.

— Danny Evans

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Antikatastaseis is available on June 24th via Profound Lore.

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