Abstracter - Wound Empire

Tracklist:

1. Lightless

2. Open Veins

3. Cruciform

4. Glowing Wounds

Abstracter's 2015 full-length really was a labour of love. A collaboration of different labels used different formats to bring it to the world. Fragile Branch Recordings, Vendetta Records, 7Degrees Records and Shove Records conspired to release it on vinyl. Sentient Ruin Laboratories and An Out Recordings released a tape version, while CoF Records handled the CD version. Coming three years after Tomb Of Feathers, Abstracter have ensured that their musical stock keeps on rising. That previous effort definitely left it's mark on me and from what I've read so far, Wound Empire should be no different.

Wound Empire begins with an earth shattering wail of feedback, as Lightless whirrs into life. It’s a strangely mournful beginning, but one befitting of Abstracter’s considerable song-writing. The instrumental build-up lasts for over two minutes before the bass and drums connect in unison to raise the volume. It’s heavy and doom-laden with a menacing undertone that ushers in deep bellowed screams. Lightless is not an easy listen, as the guitars spit out black metal ambience to back up the raw shrieks. This is the kind of cathartic experience that will wash away even the dirtiest of sins. Open Veins deceives you with a glimpse of light through the darkness. The down-tempo guitar work provides the backdrop to a slow and sludgy trip. Whereas Lightless was had a driving pace, Open Veins meanders at first before Abstracter quicken’s the pace and flings atonal riffs out of the speakers. It feels like it began life as multiple movements before being moulded together with continual noise. The noise that holds it together makes for a more wholesome listening experience. There’s no gap between Open Veins and Cruciform, so no momentum is lost. Cruciform is majestic right from the start. If you were stood alone on the top of a mountain, staring over creation, this would be the song playing in the background. The darkness within Abstracter’s collective head begins to reveal itself as you get deeper into Cruciform. While it’s not solely a black metal record, it retains that genre’s abject despair and mixes it with post-metal. You’ve really got to listen to it to appreciate the sheer weight of the song and it’s feeling. There’s no chance of salvation by the time the occult-chanting of Glowing Wounds envelopes you. It’s yet another nuance that makes Wound Empire special for all who hear it. The clean vocals provide a welcome siren-song that pierce the bleak atmosphere and leave you at peace, before Abstracter performs once final exorcism. Music like this can be interpreted in many ways and none of which will be the same. There is one universal conclusion that can be drawn from Wound Empire though; it’s incredible!

Stream Wound Empire here:-

You can purchase it on all formats from Abstracter,s bandcamp page above. You can also buy it from the labels below:-

Fragile Branch Recordings - http://fragilebranch.com
Vendetta Records - http://www.bisaufsmesser.com/store/label-releases
7Degrees Records - http://www.7degrees-records.de/shop/
Shove Records - http://www.doomrock.com/Shove-Records
Sentient Ruin Laboratories - http://sentientruin.storenvy.com
An Out Recordings - http://anout.storenvy.com
CoF Records - http://hatecof.bigcartel.com

Abstracter Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ABSTRACTER
Fragile Branch Recordings Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FragileBranch
Vendetta Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/vendetta
7Degrees Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/7DegreesRecords
Shove Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shove
Sentient Ruin Labs Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SentientRuin
CoF Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hatecof