The latest release from OvO, Italy’s audacious sonic experimentalists (and Supernatural Cat labelmates to the almighty Ufomammut), Abisso has proven to be a challenge for reviewers to adequately describe – in short, it’s a unique recording, both heavy and strange; these songs are equal parts snarling feedback, bludgeoning riffs, Bruno Dorella’s blunt-force percussion and the otherworldly growls and caterwauls of Stefania Pedretti (vocals, guitar).
If hallucinating Yanomami shamans started a band performing early Ministry covers (specifically, “Cannibal Song” and “Breathe”), it might sound like second track, “Tokoloshi” (see below for a taste of the band’s giallo-esque visual aesthetic); Alan Dubin’s (Khanate, OLD) guest vocals on “A Dream Within A Dream” further cements the album’s mix of caustic rock into a surreal foundation, which is ultimately topped by the billowing tattered canvas of closing jam “Fly Little Demon”, with Carla Bozulich and her band, Evangelista.
Avant-metal tunes are always a hit-or-miss proposition; either they work despite their idiosyncrasies or else they stumble under the weight of pretension (an equally ambitious exploration of heaviness beyond the conventional boundaries of metal’s sundry genres is Joe Preston’s (Sunn O))), High on Fire) Thrones project, which remains a personal favourite), and OvO knows just how to navigate unscathed across the conceptual fire pit. Highly recommended.
New Comments