Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies of Artificial Origin

by Matt Hensch

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"The Anomalies of Artificial Origin" has the reputation of a masterpiece in its own niche, I think. The whole 'slam death metal' thing I never understood, but I'm not one to judge. I mean, I knew a guy once who had a thing for buttholes. Not my cup of tea, but hey, do your thing. I guess "The Anomalies of Artificial Origins" makes sense at its best and leaves me feeling a familiar brand of disappointment if I'm donning the sh*t-covered glasses. There are things to admire judging Abominable Putridity at face value. There is competency and care placed in the brutal death metal spine of this alleged masterwork, sure, and a number of these riffs skewer one from eye to ear. The only problem holding it back, and it's more than just a minor nuisance, is that slam death metal, from its inception, has been more voguish than substantial.

I'm not trying to incite an e-riot by pushing the whole sub-genre off a cliff, but it is true. The sound has an identity based on quick gratification, not actual quality. A group like Waking the Cadaver was all the rage at some point in time, but now they've mostly fizzled out of relevancy. Abominable Putridity may be the genetically superior version of what the world knows from this vocation, perhaps its Zeus, though Hephaestus may look like the king of kings when implementing standards is secondary to style. These are the issues raised throughout "The Anomalies of Artificial Origin" that are left untouched: What does this bring to slam death metal? What makes Abominable Putridity significant? Why should we care?

Abominable Putridity sticks to what it knows and what we expect. The soil of death metal riffs and motifs are supplemented by guttural vocal oinking and abrupt drop-offs in pace that crash into breakdowns with the grace of a teenager learning how to drive. The riffs, sequences and themes akin to modern brutal/technical death metal guitar work are done above the herd standard, and actually manage to convey the intended ferocity quite well. The pacing forms that launch these tracks into clunky drop-offs, however, are constant measures and the driving force behind the whole record. The sudden jerking around, especially when the album begins to pace itself, throws everything off. Breakdowns and their likeness in this setting are amateurish, simple tools to eliminate the trickier stuff, like nuance.

All eight tracks are stuffed up in the same way; little happens outside the lines. Abominable Putridity is a group of impressive technical chops with fine foundational elements of brutal death metal, other than the laughable puking vocals. Whatever momentum they gain is sidelined when the breakdowns and chugs send the album into spasms of awkward pace. The fact remains that if Abominable Putridity and this style were to find themselves fleshed out and pumped up, then perhaps the notion of elevating the record to a higher status might make sense. Truth be told, the alleged best of its kind is just a skip above the baseline.

Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies of Artificial Origin
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