Nether Tombs of Abaddon

Take cover! The Spaniards of Proclamation are back to stultify us with a fourth album. The extraordinary mediocrity of Nether Tombs of Abaddon (2012) jumps so to the ears from the first listen that I - again - repeatedly asked myself if it was a bad joke. Unfortunately, no. Let me give you some background. It exists within current black metal a relatively marginal scene nicknamed "beastly" claiming to be the only absolutely authentic black metal subgenre. Inspired by the first demos of Beherit, bands that are rampant in this register spit out crappy lo-fi music, with basic recording techniques and interpretation skills that a five years old can top after a single week of practice. As for lyrical themes, they take advantage of all the worst stereotypes imaginable, with a predilection for goat sodomy.

Proclamation combines all these aberrations with an enthusiasm that perplexes me. So Irreverent Captor of Abysmal Flames and Ultimate Desolation (bass), Abomination of 4 Winds and Bestial Mayhemic Offensor (drums) and Usurper of Eternal Condemnation and Inverted Crucifixion (guitar, vocals) offer us a new chapter in their quest for absolute nullity, for about thirty minutes, spreading across ten tracks, including invocations. Note that the cover is almost identical to the previous three albums! It can be said the same of music. That black metal fans can give interest to such an album leaves me speechless. All the songs are organized around a few basic riffs, often out of sync with the drums. It also collects rumblings belching which vaguely resemble words. The quality of the whole is poor, particularly in sound, which was probably murdered during recording. I prefer to stop here.

I am definitely unable to endure a band that is vomiting such bad albums, based on aesthetic / philosophical ridiculous premises. Try listening Nether Tombs of Abaddon the next time you're constipated. Guaranteed relief. 2/10

Originally written for metalobscur.com

In a lot of ways, Proclamation are very similar to many Top 40 pop and rock acts, usually groups who Proclamation fans despise to the point of irrational hatred. But the similarities are very striking: like say… Beyonce(or whatever), Proclamation have delivered pretty much the same album over and over again with predictable vigor to a fan base that has no desire for them to change. Each individual song follows predictable, easily digestible paths to fairly standard conclusions, and offer few if any surprises along the way. And each album sticks closely to the well defined boundaries and standards set by the fan base, never seeking to challenge them in any way. Sure, while Beyonce produces pop-y R&B and Proclamation produce what essentially boils down to busy blackened static drenched noise, at their most base levels the two artists are doing pretty much the same thing.

Nether Tombs Of Abaddon, the fourth full length of similar material from these Spaniards, is a relatively safe and lifeless affair through and through, and sees Proclamation fall into a self-imposed state of perpetual non-creativity. Fact of the matter is, Proclamation’s shtick has worn damn thin: sure it was fun at first, listening to a band so full of piss and vinegar, spewing Satan-praising vomit from every orifice and taking gleeful joy in disposing of posers. It might not have been original, but when Proclamation first reared its deformed visage from the abyss, the whole bestial black metal revival was just starting to hit its stride. With the unholy semen of Blasphemy and Conqueror flowing through their veins, Proclamation made good on their promise of playing only the most mindless, ugly shit they could bang out. And as I said, it was fun… for a while.

But Nether Tombs Of Abaddon isn’t any fun at all, largely because listening to it gives me nothing but an endless sense of deja-vu. And not even in a purely album-to-album sense, as some songs on Nether Tombs Of Abaddon sound exactly the same, making distinguishing solely on sound much more challenging. It doesn't help that the production is mostly gutless and thin, as this would likely sound better with a more full-throated production and a stronger bass sound, instead of just drenching a thin production sound in copious levels of reverb and calling it a day. So what we get with Nether Tombs Of Abaddon is a lot of anger and speed... and that's it. This would be fine if Proclamation were that much more aggressive and nasty then their counterparts... but they aren't. Frankly, Prosanctus Inferi, Black Witchery and Impious Baptism offer far more blasphemous belching for your dollar, and I would recommend any of those groups albums over Nether Tombs Of Abaddon.

I haven't been kind to Nether Tombs of Abaddon in this review, but in an effort for full disclosure, I must admit that I still enjoy it. I just love this sound and this genre, and Proclamation are able performers who don't lack for passion or hatred. But with so many similar acts doing this sound better, and with so many acts pushing the boundaries of the genre in new directions, Nether Tombs of Abaddon feels lost in Purgatory: not nasty enough or interesting enough to move onto a higher(or lower) plane. If you are a hardcore fan of Ross Bay Cult-style bands and cannot get enough of Blasphemy, then Nether Tombs of Abaddon will no doubt sate your unholy hunger. But those among us who have heard this song and dance before, Nether Tombs of Abaddon serves only as a distraction on the side of a long, barren road. Stop for a moment and enjoy... then jump back in the car and move on.

Rating: 6/10

originally posted at http://curseofthegreatwhiteelephant.blogspot.com/

Alright so four albums in I think we all know what to basically expect from Proclamation, raw bestial black/death metal in the Blasphemy/Beherit vein. Despite this I feel they have kept up a good variation in their material, going from the more Blasphemy inspired early work to the more ambient and thick masterpiece Execration of Cruel Bestiality, which is up to now my favorite of their releases.

This album, Nether Tombs of Abaddon features the basic Proclamation sound but with a few changes in store for the discerning listener. For one this release is much more Beherit inspired then before, even to the point of having some ambient pieces that bring to mind the ambience of early Beherit. Also it continues the usage of samples, satanic choirs and all that insanity that preface the songs that they utilized in their last release.

The music is made up of fast and highly aggressive riffs played with brutality and effective simplicity. The drums blast underneath with an organic low-fi tone. The sound of the instruments is less thick and oppressive then the last album which is a downer to me, though it's still thicker then their first albums.

The big change here I feel is with the vocals, which show above all the Beherit influence, as they basically sound almost exactly like Nuclear Holocausto's work on Oath of Black Blood, being more raspy with some growls mixed in. I like the vocals here although maybe they're less distinctive and insane then on earlier Proclamation albums.

Also Proclamation show some hints of some slower tempos here and there, the opening riff of "Regurgitated Bibles" is quite cool, being a slow riff that then gives way to some Gregorian chant before blasts return. Some other songs show some riffs that have more mid-tempo feelings, but I feel this at times is a little of a teaser. I was hoping that this album would show the band maybe developing a bit out of the constant blasting that made up most of their earlier albums, but asides from the few riffs here and there, I am let down.

Not that that means the album is bad by any means, it still kills as they always do with bestial and heavy tones that rape angels and create a hellish atmosphere. I just personally would enjoy even one track among the blasting that was slower or more head banging, as I feel it would work very well with their heavy and primal music and atmosphere.

Also it must be stated, after the pure ravaging feeling of Execration of Cruel Bestiality, I'm sure it was hard to come up with a follow up as evil and intense, thus instead of trying they seem to have decided to kind of take a left turn and create music thats more inspired by the early chaotic form of Beherit creating a variation of sorts from their earlier material.

Regardless of the slight let down in me for the lack of slower riffs, I suppose it's kind of silly expecting a band like Proclamation to change much. They are a band cut from stone, you always know what to expect, that when you put on an album by them you shall be sonically molested by half an hour of brutality, that brutality however mixed with ambience and eerie qualities that give it that little push that keeps it from being boring or totally mind numbing.

So to sum up, Proclamation have released yet another consistent and quality album that should please their fans, it's certainly pleased me though it certainly hasn't overtaken their last album in my book. Buy it from Nuclear War Now! and enjoy the scenic trip through hell Proclamation has given us.