A 20-year gap between full length releases can just about kill any band’s hopes at fulfilling expectations from an ever-hungering fan base. But every now and then, some bands do deliver those very expectations and maybe even more so. Such is the case for Abramelin, who are back with their third album titled “Never Enough Snuff”, released on May 15th 2020.
For all you gore-infested-maggot-rotten Death Metal lovers, “Never Enough Snuff “is like a godsend. From the head-crushing title track opening the record right to the re-recording of the “Pleasures” track from their last album, “Never Enough Snuff” pummels listeners to the floor – and hard! The rough and tumble songs including first single “Full Gore Whore”, “Moon Dogs”, “Horror-Zontal” and “Sparagmos” just about encapsulate a hungering Abramelin straight from their 90’s heyday – A tick on my Abramelin bingo.
But Abramelin don’t just go for the tongue-in-cheek Death Metal aspects musically throughout “Never Enough Snuff”. Such examples are tracks such as “The Peeler”, “Knife-Play” & “A Head Fuck”, all showcasing elements of a more melodic Death Metal sound to what Abramelin fans would be used to. Melody would definitely always be a part of Abramelin, but “Never Enough Snuff” couldn’t be a better case of a band incorporating a wider palette of styles.
Another highlight of “Never Enough Snuff” are Simon Dower’s lyrics and vocals. Never has a Death Metal vocalist managed to sound this gut-wrenchingly vile whilst keeping a consistent level of annunciation throughout an album. Recently, vocalist Simon Dower commented during Abramelin’s press releases on his approach to writing lyrics on “Never Enough Snuff” saying that “I think of [the lyrics] as a mini horror film: I create the basis of a story and then load it up with a whole lotta gore and nastiness. I’m very fair about it, everyone’s a victim and everyone gets a crack at being the perpetrator i.e. men, women, teenagers, children, demonic forces, werewolves and so on.” That right there just showcases Abramelin’s attitude since their reformation to deliver a classic Death Metal package with subtle nuances, widening their fan-base in the process.
All in all, Abramelin sure have a winner in “Never Enough Snuff” – it’s a fun, rough & tough Death Metal experience with a wide array of styles to not make you too bored. Especially considering generic Death Metal can suffer from the over-reliance of tremolo picking, double kick drum patterns and cookie monster grumbles, Abramelin find the right balance between the cheese and the meat – a perfect sandwich.
Rating: 4.5/5
Megadeaf’s Deaf-inite picks for “Never Enough Snuff”.
- Track 1: “Never Enough Snuff”
- Track 2: “Knife-Play”
- Track 3: “Full Gore Whore”
- Track 5: “The Peeler”
- Track 9: “A Head Fuck”
https://abramelin1.bandcamp.com/album/never-enough-snuff
https://www.facebook.com/Abramelin-550713968275457/
The Metal Wanderlust 