In case you haven’t figured it out by now, music critics are generally complete morons. We listen to music, feel some feelings, think some thoughts, and then write some words, all the while thinking that our opinions might actually matter to anyone besides ourselves. In fact, we often times don’t even agree with our own opinions when given enough time and distance from when and where we originally formed them. Case in point: my review of Abhoria’s self-titled debut record, in which I nitpicked that the almost uniformly aggressive nature of the songs made the tracks blend together a bit, leaving the more experimental moments to stand as attention-grabbing beacons. Well, now that I’ve spent some time with Abhoria’s sophomore record, Depths, you’re about to hear me totally contradict myself.
Having interacted with Abhoria (and Ashen Horde) guitarist and songwriter Trevor Portz over the years, I know that Enslaved is a major influence on him, and Depths is oozing with stylistic nods to those prolific Norwegians. Whereas Ashen Horde has generally been Portz’s outlet for blackened death metal flavored with Enslaved’s more experimental material, Abhoria initially kept things more straightforward and visceral like Enslaved’s early efforts. This time around, we see Abhoria merging those approaches, with more experimentation and atmosphere being included with the faster, more aggressive elements. Embedded single “The Well” demonstrates this well (see what I did there?), its nefarious tremolo intro giving way to brief noodly riffs before settling into the ringing arpeggios underlying the verse. The rest of the song is a call and response between faster black metal and proggier moments, with a nice solo thrown in by Portz for good measure.
There’s a lot to like about this second iteration of Abhoria, with Portz’s playing and a new vocalist being the highlights. Portz has such a smooth delivery on the guitar, with riffs and leads cutting in and out like rivulets from the main rhythm. At times, it’s almost a little too smooth given the black metal aesthetic aimed for here. Tunes like “The Inexorable Earth” and “Within Our Dominion” play the sinister black metal game well, while some of the other tracks opt for different tacks. “They Hunt at Night” feels a little out of place with its proggy blackened death metal a la Ashen Horde, and it’s followed by “Devour,” a mid-paced track that derails the momentum a bit. In the end, while I’m not completely won over by the songwriting choices here, the entire package is delivered with precision and polish.
And that polish might be the record’s primary downfall. I’m not exactly sure why, but I don’t really feel the aggression that is so obviously present within many of these songs. I thought I wanted Abhoria’s sophomore record to feature more interesting elements to provide some contrast to its violent nature, but now that I have what I want, I realize I don’t actually want it. Don’t get me wrong, Depths is a more than serviceable black metal record with bits of death and prog thrown in, but something about this current ratio has defanged a once vicious bite. I’ve had no problems listening to the record; nothing has stood out as bad in any way. But then again, nothing has really jumped out to grab my attention either. My favorite tracks would be the nastier bits like “The Inexorable Earth,” “Within Our Dominion,” and “Ghost in the Smoke.”
Residing in the nebulous ether between the more aggressive and experimental natures of the band’s source material, Depths ultimately leaves me wanting more—or maybe less, contrary to my findings on the band’s debut. Abhoria has a lot of talent at their disposal, but the songwriting, while competently executed and devoid of low points, lacks enough engaging highs to really stand out amongst the crowd. But then again, I am a music critic, and therefore, a moron. I hope to find many of you telling me how wrong I am below.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: abhoria.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/abhoriametal
Releases Worldwide: January 19th, 2024
