Brutal Death Metal, I love it so very much. To me its very existence is spawned from extremity a means of gaining a leg up over each and every predecessor to be something more brutal, fast, vile, shocking and horrific. As with horror movies the underground is represented by ghastly unforgiving acts of delinquent violence and bloodshed, Brutal Death is the same when it comes to Death Metal, as a teenager I constantly battled to discover the most extreme bands I could find, this has since left me with a lifelong love for this hideous art.

Aborted Fetus could be said to be mainstays of the Brutal Death Metal tag, forming in 2000 and hailing for Perm in Russia they have seemingly conducted a rising success, with Fatal Dogmatic Damage from 2010 being my go to album from the bands back catalogue. We are now at the emerging of The Ancient Spirits Of Decay the bands 5th full length, not including the remaster of the bands debut. The Ancient Spirits Of Decay is put out through the mighty Comatose Music but does it have the power to shake the foundations of barbarity.

So let’s get the bad points out of the way first, instrumentals I mean really how many do you need, the opening track The Winds Of Agonizing Spirits is admittedly savage and a showcase of the bands potential, with an almost Nile sound and galloping drums, but all is wasted in an intro not to mention the two other instrumentals that merely eat up good riffs or provide unnecessary breaks. Excuse me whilst I dismount my high horse, let’s get into the meat of this Brutal Death sandwich. Instrumentals aside this album pretty much slays, as previously stated the musicianship is brutal, chaotic and heralds a lot of traits I hold dear, for one relentless speed and math like mayhemic riffs.

Aborted Fetus even play to some pretty old school Brutal Death Metal specifics too especially in Eaten By Pigs In The Trough, even the vocals retain a gruff nature that lends itself to the gap between Death Metal and Brutal Death Metal. Roasted Alive In The Copper Bull’s Stomach is another example of the bands ear catching annihilation, a track that really picks things up when every begins to get dull with smashing riffs and more punishing drums.

In the end Aborted Fetus still sleep in the fetid waste, rotting away and not really capturing my attention a great deal, their 2010 magnum opus still reigns supreme, perhaps namely due to its time of release. None the less there is no denying that Aborted Fetus are a tight band with the power to captivate audiences and a prime starting place for anyone looking to expand their tastes into scum ridden savagery.

(6/10 George Caley) 

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https://abortedfetus.bandcamp.com