Aborted - Global Flatline (2012)

1. Omega Mortis 0:59
2. Global Flatline 3:12
3. Источник Болезни (The Origin Of Disease) 3:04
4. Coronary Reconstruction 4:28
5. Fecal Forgery 2:45
6. Of Scabs & Boils 2:53
7. Vermicular, Obscene, Obese 2:51
8. Expurgation Euphoria 3:43
9. From A Tepid Whiff 3:04
10. The Kallinger Theory 3:44
11. Our Father, Who Art Of Feces 2:43
12. Grime 3:48
13. Endstille 6:29
14. Eructations Of Carnal Artistry (Bonus) 3:27
15: Nailed Through Her Cunt (Bonus) 4:12
Total Time: 51:17

While I realise that this album has been out for a long time, I knew when I started this blog that a review of this was a must, as this is one of my favourite death metal albums ever, not just of the year. This album and band will hold a special place in my heart for a long time.

Belgian death metal band Aborted have not had the most stable existence. Frontman Sven de Caluwé is the one constant the bands career and after releasing a couple of albums that while being good were questionable in parts (2005's The Archaic Abbatoir & 2008's Strychnine.213) the band were in need of a very strong record to be their saving grace.

 Aborted make up for it by having several exceptional death metal albums (Engineering The Dead, Goremageddon: The Saw & The Carnage Done, Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture), but it is this album that makes it clear to everyone that this is an outstanding band. From start to finish this album covers nearly every base in the death metal spectrum and it does so spectacularly.




From the ominous introduction of "Omega Mortis", which conjures the atmosphere of a world on the brink of destruction via plague, alluding of course to the (Fucking cool) album artwork you see in the top corner.

"Global Flatline" with a slow chugging riff before building to breakneck speed. Vocalist Sven really shows of his skills, ranging from a guttural growl to mid-pitch shriek reminiscent of grindcore. After proclaiming the fantastic lyric "THIS IS THE END OF ALL FLESH!!!" the song slows to a crawl and introduces a marvelous melodic solo, showcasing a fantastic melodic side to an otherwise crushingly heavy song.

The next track "Источник Болезни (The Origin Of Disease)" shows the first instance of a guest vocalist on this album, not a common occurrence in death metal, but a wise move that complements Sven's vocal style. He is joined on this track by French vocalist Julien Truchan, a member of another favourite band of mine, Benighted. This song again shows a perfect mixture of speed, brutality and melody.

"Coronary Reconstruction" and "Fecal Forgery" continue in a very similar fashion, adding gruesome samples and gory lyrics to create a perfect death metal package. "Of Scabs & Boils" is a completely different beast altogether, starting off with some off kilter, almost hard rock like riffing which quickly descends once again into madness, occasionally punctuated with some slightly metalcore flavoured riffs.

"Vermicular, Obscene, Obese" features another guest vocalist, Trevor Strnad of the Black Dahlia Murder, who I respect as a vocalist but I have never been a fan of the band. However he lends his quite capable talents to this excellent song. This song features one of my favourite sections on the whole album, a breakdown that features the "woosh" pick slide sound used to great effect by Gojira (if you don't know what I mean then watch the video below).

A haunting piano piece opens "Expurgation Euphoria" before being engulfed by another heavy as fuck riff while a sample plays in the background. Alternating between a style similar to Gojira's groovy, spine-crushing heaviness and a slightly melodic death metal styled bridge riff, this song is very ominous sounding and another amazing tune.

"From A Tepid Whiff" wastes no time unlike the previous, it kicks straight in at full speed and doesn't let up.

"The Kallinger Theory" named for serial killer Joseph Kallinger, contains a killer groove present throughout and a fantastic melodic outro.

"Our Father, Who Art Of Feces", which features guest vocals from Keijo Niinimaa aka G of Finnish grindcore group Rotten Sound, is a scathing attack at religion which is hateful and aggressive until the last second.

"Grime" features Jason Netherton of Misery Index on guest vocals, and this song is easily one of my favourites, with possibly the best solo on the album.

But nothing prepares you for the beast that is "Endstille" featuring multiple solos, crushing grooves and monologues concerning the end of the world it truly instills a feeling of dread and hopelessness in the wake of the apocalypse, ending the album in magnificent style.

On the deluxe edition there are two bonus tracks, re-recordings of tracks from Aborted's first major album "Engineering The Dead". The tracks chosen are two song which are still part of the band's live set today, "Eructations Of Carnal Artistry" and one my favourites, "Nailed Through Her Cunt", which possesses the absolutely brilliant opening sample "Your suffering will be legendary, even in HELL!!!!" These tracks are no different than the originals although it is nice to hear them re-recorded with proper production.

Me with Sven from Aborted in Feb 2012

Overall I love this greatly and it will be one of my favourites for a long time. Although I have liked death metal for a long time, I have not had the opportunity to go to any death metal gigs until very recently, and it was Aborted and Decapitated who I saw for my first death metal gig. Seeing them in a cramped pub basement in London I was really able to see the energy Aborted put into their live show, and although I love Decapitated there was no doubt Aborted stole the show that evening, and my friend and I even got to meet Sven from Aborted. I then saw them again at Hellfest this year were I was shown that they can perform flawlessly to any size of crowd, whether it be 300 or 3000. Aborted have created a modern masterpiece here, and I look forward to seeing them again as soon as possible.

9.8/10

Check this out if: You like death metal of any kind, you enjoy gory as fuck lyrics mixed with brutal riffs and melodic solos, you have a sick sense of humour and love music that does too.

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For fans of: Benighted, Dying Fetus, Carcass
Global Flatline is out now on Century Media Records