Review: Abysmal Dawn-Phylogenesis

Since their debut album From Ashes in 2006, the Los Angeles band Abysmal Dawn have released some of the best modern death metal of the past two decades. Their solid output earned them touring spots alongside legends of the genre like Cannibal Corpse and Obituary. The best quality of the band is their use of technicality through their songs but they are not afraid to slow things down and focus on a groove. This mindset toward songwriting makes their songs complex yet still meat and potatoes death metal. (See "In Service of Time" and "Inanimate") Their lyrics are bleak, painting the world as desolate. Abysmal Dawn are often overshadowed by other bands in death metal but are more than capable of standing on their own.      

Phylogenesis is the band's fifth studio album in six years following the excellent Obsolescence in 2014 on Relapse Records. Abysmal Dawn's fifth foray is the first to be released by the French extreme music label Season of Mist. Right of the bat, the cover art is eye catching as always. Abysmal Dawn have commissioned Swedish artist Par Olofsson for this and every other album in their discography. Olofsson is one of the most recognizable cover artists in the extreme music genre. Each of his works are vibrant yet disturbing, often using bright colors to convey a bleak portrait.    

The album kicks off with "Mundane Existence." Opening with a warped quote stating "Are we not gods? But for the wisdom," the intro track starts off business as usual for Abysmal Dawn. The riff work from vocalist/guitarist Charles Elliott and lead guitarist Vito Petroni is relentless. The intro features fast tremolo picked riffs and scale runs. The drum and bass from James Coppolino and Eliseo Garcia respectively holds the song together tightly. Garcia also supplies some backing vocals behind Elliott's guttural roars. The lyrics discuss living an unfulfilled life, of owning the knowledge to become something greater but never achieving it. This song is a great showcase of Abysmal Dawn's ability to balance technicality, brutality, and groove perfectly. The ending repeats the line: "You are sin and a disease, A failure for a dying god."

The fury continues with "The Path of the Totalitarian," one of the many singles released for the album. Keeping with the desolate nature of the vocals, this track focuses on how ignorance leads complete control from power-hungry authoritarian figures."Sewn shut eyes cannot see the truth before them. Deafened ears cannot hear the cries of fraud. Severed tongues cannot speak the words of reason. Vacant minds can't perceive what's really going on." Elliot and Petroni showcase their solo chops perfectly on this track following this lyrical section. "Hedonistic," arguably the most riff focused song on the album, chugs along with some fast-paced riffs and suddenly slows for mid-tempo section where all the instruments lock together for catchy, breakdown-esque riff.

"A Speck in the Fabric of Eternity" pummels the listener from the very beginning with a fast chugging riff that locks into a groove thanks to Coppolino's tight drumming. The concept of time plays a major role in the lyrics seen throughout Abysmal Dawn's discography and "Speck" is no exception. Here, much like "In Service of Time" from Leveling the Planes of Existence, the lyrics discuss the futility of mankind. "Coerced Evolution" features a heavy, stop-and-start triplet riff. Groove is the name of the game for this track with it's consistent mid-paced riffing and dense drum work. The tracks shifts however around the 2:13 mark with technical guitar runs and Elliott verging on beat-boxing. Coppolino's drum work really shines through on this track. "True to the Blind" is the most straight forward, meat and potatoes death metal track on Phylogenesis. Not overly flashy with technicality or too bogged down in a groove, just a fine example traditional death metal. 
     
The main riff of the track, "Soul-Sick Nation," hearkens back to groove metal of the 90's with it's bluesy and slidey structure. The track sounds downtuned compared to the rest of the album; adding to the heaviness and making the riffs stand out. In traditional Abysmal Dawn fashion, the band ends the album with an epic closer. "The Lament Configuration," the longest track on the album, is a sweeping, expansive track that shows all the musical prowess that the band has to offer. The intro builds up anticipation with distorted open chords, a thumping audible bass, and muted guitar ryhtmn bringing the song forward. The song focuses on self-demise, how someone can be their own worst enemy. "Your dream have all but died and left, crushed by the weight of your own desires. The traps you laid yourself are finally tripped, you thrived in chaos but your time has expired." This closing track serves as a perfect exhibit of Abysmal Dawn as a whole and what makes them a force to be reckoned with in modern death metal. The bonus track is an excellent cover of Death' "Flattening of Emotions" off their album Human. This cover shows some love to the late Chuck Schuldiner and makes it more obvious why the surviving members of Death chose Elliott to man the mic and guitar on the Death to All tour back in 2012.

All in all, Abysmal Dawn have once again crafted a masterclass in death metal. The lyrics, although it is doubtful the band originally intended this, reflect the strange and unsettling times the world is facing at this very moment. The guitars are second to none and the drumming is superb. The bass unfortunately suffers from the usual trappings of death metal production; often being muted behind guitars and vocals. But Eliseo Garcia does a great job providing the mortar for the overall structure of the band. Phylogenesis is vigorous display of extreme music that will be hard to top this year.   

Listen/purchase the album digitally here

Purchase CD/LP/Merch here
Check out AD's beautiful cover of doom classic "Bewitched" by Candlemass here