Aborym - Generator
Season Of Mist
Industrial Black Metal
9 songs (44'20")
Release year: 2006
Aborym, Season Of Mist
Reviewed by Adam
Archive review
If you had any doubts regarding the depth of quality metal released in 2006, allow me to introduce you to Generator, the fourth full-length album from industrial black metal band, Aborym. As far as I can tell, this album has flown tragically under the radar since its release last February. In fact, I paid little attention to it at first. I had heard bits and pieces of their previous album, With No Human Intervention, and, while it was certainly good, nothing really stood out to my ears. Apparently, I should have paid more attention, as Generator is a fascinating spin on black metal that deserves far more recognition than it’s getting.

A bit of a back-story is needed, as Aborym have undergone a few key changes since the release of their previous album. Gone are the vocals of Attila, save for a guest appearance on Man Bites God, as he chose to return to his former post as vocalist for Mayhem. Also, perhaps just as important, gone is the drum machine from past albums. After his guest appearance on the With No Human Intervention album, Emperor’s Bård Faust has taken over behind the drums full time. The effect these two changes have on the overall sound is not as great as you might think. The new vocalist, Prime Evil, has a bit more guttural tone to his shriek than Attila, but mostly the vocal changes are fairly negligible. Faust gives the overall sound a much more polished, “real” feeling that renders the music much more pulverizing.

Generator is the sort of album that defines a band’s career. Simply put, it is about as furious and nihilistic an album as I’ve heard in quite some time. The effects utilized by Malfeitor are nothing short of amazing, giving the album as bleak of an atmosphere as possible. While he does utilize synths often, they are used more to advance and give a new dimension to the guitar sound than for any other purpose. See the outstanding, and perfectly titled, track Disgust and Rage for evidence of this. Following on the heels of an effective aura-building intro track, it charges in with maximum aggression. Around the 1:40 mark, a sharp, machine-gun like amalgam of synth and guitar effectively hooked me in. From then on, it’s a constant barrage of extreme industrial black metal executed with the utmost precision. Nearly every sample and sound Malfeitor throws in sounds perfectly placed, whether it’s the haunting chant on the title track, or the chilling inclusion of Charles Manson interview excerpts on Suffer Catalyst. We would be here for a while if I listed them all, but I assure you that the atmospherics are top notch throughout.

The sound on Generator is difficult to tag, as you might have guessed. Though I would say industrial black metal fits best, this album sounds nothing like others of this genre, such as The Axis of Perdition. Perhaps the band’s own label of “alien-black-hard industrial” works best. One thing is for sure, it sounds decidedly different than most black metal albums, due to the clear production and frequent inclusion of programmed noise. However, the most defining aspect of black metal, to me, has always been the indescribable, and yet distinct, attitude of its music, and Aborym have this attitude in spades.

As I alluded to before, it’s a shame that I managed to overlook this album until the conclusion of 2006, as it would’ve easily cracked my top 15 list. Generator’s brand of originality coupled with brilliant execution should please fans from all over the metal spectrum. Do yourself a favor and buy this album, and help to rectify the unfair lack of recognition this album is receiving.
Killing Songs :
Disgust and Rage (Sic Transit Gloria Mundi), Generator, Suffer Catalyst
Adam quoted 94 / 100
Other albums by Aborym that we have reviewed:
Aborym - Dirty reviewed by Goat and quoted 80 / 100
Aborym - Psychogrotesque reviewed by Goat and quoted 87 / 100
Aborym - Fire Walk With Us reviewed by Danny and quoted 20 / 100
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