Hybris

The cover art does not adequately prepare you for the music within. I was expecting something a bit more obviously melodic, maybe a hint of power metal- definitely not the surprisingly aggressive and chaotic music contained within. Abusiveness is one of the quieter bands in the Polish black metal scene; they have a long history but don't ever seem to have gotten the acclaim of their more popular death metal brethren, which is unfortunate, because there's a lot to appreciate on albums like 'Hybris'. Though I think it gets a bit exhausting, it's still a solid, interestingly executed slab of black metal that exceeds expectations and delivers something to think about.

Could Abusiveness be the black metal version of all those United Guttural brutal death bands? It's similarly chaotic, with the music constantly stopping, starting, and shifting from rhythm to rhythm and riff to riff with little patience or desire for relaxation and soaking in atmosphere. Even if the guitars are looping a simple riff, the remarkably entropic, bursting drum performance of Wizun refuses to quit, with constant crossovers and sudden cymbal explosions popping out every which way. Rarely does this happen, though, as the guitars are typically just as active as the percussion underneath, with a fulminating, explosive riffing style that combines thrash with hyperspeed black metal to a surprisingly brutal and extreme effect. Even more oddly are the sparingly used synths, which at first seem at odds with the rather unmelodic style of black metal being played, but then grow on you due to their tasteful, restrained employment and usefulness on the occasion that they do pop up.

The closest comparison I could make musically from this band would be the most violent, least melodic moments of Keep Of Kalessin; that will give you a pretty good idea of how this sounds. The band never seems to quit looking for the next rhythm or riff to rush to, and while this would ordinarily result in an impatient, poorly paced album, the composition is good enough that this isn't an issue. Yes, it is exhausting and you'll probably get rather fatigued with the style about halfway through, but I can't fault the band for doing what they do well. Abusiveness takes the Swedish blastcore style of black metal and makes a pretty impressive spin on it by refusing to let the speed take control of the songs, always packing in variation, creativity, and interesting riff directions into the tiny windows of opportunity they're given.

The only real complaint I have about this album is that despite its intensity and solid songwriting, I have trouble remembering particular moments or tracks in particular- riffs tend to blitz by so quickly you don't get a chance for them to really sink in, and as a result the album tends to pass by in something of a blur. Perhaps a slightly less cluttered production style would help with this, or longer songs which allow the compositions to breathe more, but that might be at the sacrifice of the intensity which defines the band itself. Either way, don't go into this expecting to pick out a track to show your friends.

Despite this reservation, I definitely am intrigued by the intense, explosive style Abusiveness has carved out for themselves. I'm on the lookout for other releases by this band now; they definitely have something going for them, and perhaps a little more patience in songwriting shows up later in their career. Either way, fans of blasting, chaotic black metal should definitely pick this one up.

You see, I am a big fan of fast and chaotic black metal. The 'kvlt' slow stuff doesn't appeal to me as much. Abusiveness has everything a person could want with said specifications. I'm very glad I was able to dig this band up.

As I said before, this band has speed on their side. Theres not really a slow song on this album, with the exception of an instrumental track entitled 'Interludium'. Abusiveness also has the ability of making good riffs as well, and the ability to fuse the riffs with the appropriate speed. Every song on this album is filled to the brim with several base riffs, which usually carry the song for a while. Abusiveness does have guitar solos, which is always a good thing to see in black metal. The one downfall this band has is repetition. Sure, the riffs sound good, but the whole song on one riff? Bah, that gets boring fast. The vocal style is also very generic, but it molds into the music pretty nicely. Theres nothing that really jumps out with you as far as the bass guitar goes, but what can you expect? Drowning out the bass is an oncurring event in extreme genres recently. The drummer is actually pretty interesting because his lines vary in speed and in style per track. He's good at playing different variations.

Abusiveness is a band that can easily be compared to Marduk when it comes to speed, and riffs. Though, there are still great differences in the two. Abusiveness needs to work on writing some more interesting songs, but what they have achieved so far still sounds good. I'd recommend this band to people who enjoy fast, non-'kvlt' black metal.