UMUR "Dawn of Inhumanity" is the 6th full-length studio album by US death metal act Abscess. The album was released through Tyrant Syndicate Productions in March 2010. It´s the successor to "Horrorhammer" from 2007 and ended up being the last album released under the Abscess monicker, before most of the band members (minus guitarist/vocalist Clint Bower) opted to revive their former band Autopsy. Abscess had never been as successful or as recognised as Autopsy were in the late 80s/early 90s, and it made sense to discontinue Abscess and continue under the Autopsy monicker instead. But that´s of course getting a little ahead of the timeline...

...stylistically "Dawn of Inhumanity" continues the filthy horror/gore themed old school death metal style with hardcore punk and doom metal elements which Abscess have played since day one. Little to nothing has changed but Abscess don´t really aim at taking huge development steps or changing their core style too much. This is all about old school death metal authenticity and delivering the music in the most filthy organic way possible, and Abscess arguably succeed in doing just that. While the band have stagnated a bit when it comes to the songwriting, there are some experiments here and there, and the organic playing style can even sometimes feel like the band are improvising some parts (which they probably don´t, but it´s an example of how loose and organic the album feels).

"Dawn of Inhumanity" features a raw, organic, and stripped down sound production, which is decent enough, but not really great sounding. Especially the drums feature a thin and powerless sound which my ears don´t agree with. A more heavy bottom production and more powerful sounding drums could probably have made the listening experience a lot more enjoyable. The musicianship are as always strong and Chris Reifert´s filthy expressive growls as much an aquired taste as ever (personally I love them), so all in all "Dawn of Inhumanity" is another Abscess album which sounds pretty much like the rest of them. It´s not a bad album by any means, but I´m sure there aren´t many fans who mourn that this would be the last Abscess album and that most of the lineup revived Autopsy instead. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Horrorhammer" is the 5th full-length studio album by US death metal act Abscess. The album was released through Tyrant Syndicate Productions in March 2007. It´s the successor to "Damned and Mummified" from 2004. Five albums into their career and four albums more if you count some of the members time with Autopsy and the releases made by that band, Abscess still only experienced minor interest in their music. Autopsy are considered a seminal US death metal act, and it´s like that legacy dragged Abscess down, and they were never really allowed to be their own band. The comparisons to Autopsy are made in almost every review/interview I have ever read about Abscess (probably including some of my own). But the fault is primarily the band´s own, as they pretty much opted to continue the hardcore punk influenced death/doom metal style of the last Autopsy albums of the 90s. They gave that sound a little twist, but it was not enough to separate them from Autopsy in the heads of the music press and their fans.

It´s too bad really because the first couple of Abscess releases were of a decent quality and at least mildly entertaining, but the last couple of releases definitely didn´t help the band´s reputation, as they are relatively mediocre and forgettable (with a few exceptions with some standout tracks). Therefore it was nice surprise laying ears to the material and performances on "Horrorhammer", because this is Abscess when they are best.

Stylistically not much has changed and Abscess still play hardcore punk influenced death/doom metal with filthy horror/gore themed lyrics. So in that respect "Horrorhammer" is more of the same, and it´s in the songwriting department, but also in the sincerity and authenticity of the musical performances where the differences lie. The album also features better production choices than the last couple of releases (courtesy of Adam Muñoz, who interestingly enough was also involved in the production of the last couple of releases), and "Horrorhammer" is upon conclusion one of the standout releases in the band´s discography.

Opening with the chaotic, brutal, and raw "Drink the Filth" and continuing down that road throughout the 12 track, 34:46 minutes long album, Abscess sound passionate and convincing. They are just as successful playing hardcore punk oriented death metal tracks as they are delivering crushingly heavy death/doom parts. The organic nature of the performances is a great asset which provides the music with an authentic old school rawness and brutality, and lead vocalist/drummer Chris Reifert as always delivers a deranged and varied vocal performance. Aggressive shouting growling, gurgling juicy gore drenched growling, and all sorts of other extreme types of vocals. Reifert is not only a pioneer of the US death metal scene, he is also a unique sounding drummer and vocalist. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Damned and Mummified" is the 4th full-length studio album by US death metal act Abscess. The album was released through Red Stream, Inc. in October 2004. It´s the successor to "Through the Cracks of Death" from 2002 and features one lineup change as bassist Joe Allen is back in the fold. Allen temporarily left Abscess in 2000 but returned in 2002. He did not perform on "Through the Cracks of Death" though, where the bass tracks were recorded by the other three members of the band.

Stylistically the material on "Damned and Mummified" features very few surprises if you are already familiar with the preceding releases and Abscess old school death metal sound with hardcore/punk leanings. Abscess formed after Autopsy split-up in the mid-90s and is pretty much a continuation of that band, but with a little more emphasis on hardcore/punk elements. This is still filthy, gory/horror lyric drenched old school death metal delivered in the most raw and organic manner possible. Sometimes on the verge of sounding noisy and chaotic, and often taken down to a heavy, brutal, doomy crawl. Lead vocalist/drummer Chris Reifert has always been an aquired taste, with his completely over the top brutal and asylum bound (yet intelligible) growling vocals. Personally I think he is one of the greatest death metal vocalists on the scene and his delivery is both passionate, convincing, and varied.

"Through the Cracks of Death (2002)" featured a rather thin sounding production job, which unfortunately meant it didn´t have the impact it could have had, but thankfully the sound production on "Damned and Mummified" is stronger. It´s a raw, brutal, and organic sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. Abscess are well playing too and upon conclusion "Damned and Mummified" is a good quality death metal release. Granted Abscess sound a little stagnated at this point, but they do what they do with conviction. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Through the Cracks of Death" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US death metal act Abscess. The album was released through Peaceville Records in May 2002. It´s the successor to "Tormented" from 2000 and features one lineup change as bassist Joe Allen temporarily stepped out of the band from 2000-2002 and didn´t rejoin in time for the recording sessions. The bass tracks were therefore recorded by the other three members of Abscess (who recorded three to four tracks each).

Abscess was formed by former members of Autopsy and Hexx. Especially the former was quite the prolific act on the early US death metal scene, but Abscess never reached more than underground recognition and struggled throughout their carrer to escape the shadow of Autopsy.

Stylistically the material on "Through the Cracks of Death" continue the raw and filthy old school gore/horrer themed death metal of "Tormented (2002)". Abscess still incorporate hardcore/punk influences, and there actually haven´t been much musical development between the two releases. There are other differences though, and it´s especially the two sound productions which are very different sounding. "Tormented (2002)" featured a dark, organic, and murky sound production, but "Through the Cracks of Death" features a less raw and also less organic sounding production job. Especially the drums feature a more dry and less heavy tone, which provide the material with a very different atmosphere from its direct predecessor.

To my ears the sound production unfortunately also means that "Through the Cracks of Death" is a step down in quality from "Tormented (2002)". It´s simply a less interesting album to listen to and it is in large part due to a sound production which doesn´t do the material justice. There are still several great death metal tracks on "Through the Cracks of Death" (I for example really enjoy "Tomb of the Unknown Junkie") and although I ultimately prefer "Tormented (2002)" to this one, it doesn´t mean "Through the Cracks of Death" is a bad quality release. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Tormented" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US death metal act Abscess. The album was released through Listenable Records/Deathvomit Records in May 2000. It´s the successor to "Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men" from 1996 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Frank Migliore has been replaced by Joe Allen. Abscess recorded the material for the album at Sound Temple Studios, but the master tapes got lost, and they had to record the whole album again at a new studio, which could explain the long time between the release of "Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men (1996)" and "Tormented".

Stylistically the material on "Tormented" continue down the same filthy and raw old school death metal style as the band also played on "Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men (1996)". A minimalistic (often hardcore punk influenced), organic, dark and raw type of death metal featuring horror/gore lyrical themes. Most tracks on the 13 track, 33:49 minutes long album don´t exceed the 3 minutes mark and some are shorter, so it´s very much a to the point type of release. Chris Reifert has always been one of the most vile sounding growlers on the scene, sounding like he is coughing clots of blood while singing his depraved lyrics. His madman vocal style go hand in hand with the organic, raw, and unconventionally structured tracks. The instrumental part of the music is a combination of hardcore/punk influenced death metal riffs and rhythms, morbid sounding lead guitars, and heavy doomy sections (most prevalent on the 6:42 minutes long closing track "Madhouse at the End of the World", which is one of the very few long tracks on the album).

Abscess are an organic playing unit and there is a great almost improvised feeling to the music. The band are skilled musicians but they take great care to deliver the music in a primal raw playing style. "Tormented" features a dark, raw, and brutal sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. To my ears "Tormented" is a step up in quality from "Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men (1996)" (and also a bit more similar to the sound of late original-era Autopsy), and fans of filthy and raw old school death metal should find loads to love here. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.