This is US tech metal band Abiotic’s first album since “Casuistry” in 2015. We’re promised “some classical and eastern style instrumentation, along with some progressive and jazzy elements.” Noteworthy is the number of contributors over the album, among them members of The Black Dahlia Murder, Fallujah and The Contortionist. As for the album itself, “Ikigai” means “a reason for being”. The theme is of a 16th century Samurai reflecting on people in the 21st century, their different issues and modern-day struggles.
Eastern mists come down. The clouds thicken. Drums trigger, and the world becomes harsh, dark, twisted and growly. The storm subsides, and the atmospheric title piece becomes more reflective. Sinister and pungent death metal drags “Covered the Cold Earth” to the floor. The transforming style is progressive but it’s dark and desperate stuff with those technical elements thrown in. The juggernaut rolls on heavily on “The Wrath”. Other-worldly sounds match the rumbling thunder. But in spite of being loud and technical, excitement is missing. This technical metal is monochrome. The tension does mount to be fair on “If I Do Die”, another dark death metal piece but one which is coloured with glittering solos and even a symphonic section towards the end. We have finally moved away from the mundane. From this we return to the musical abyss with more heavy, triggering weightiness, nicely interrupted on “Her Opus Mangled” with an intricate piece of progressive jazziness. This gives a welcome break to the seemingly relentless march. Another technical interlude provides another bit of colour but it’s as if the primary purpose of Abiotic, which means “devoid of life”, is to hammer us into the ground. A bit more symphony finds itself in “The Horadric Cube” but I’m struggling to find any pattern in this meaty fare. The familiar triggering riff flows through “Grief Eater, Tear Drinker”, which diverts us momentarily with a Persefone style clean vocal. The ambiance has power. As if it is necessary to get back to the main story by pressing us down with weight, “Gyokusai” reverts the familiar instrumentally complex and harsh death metal punishment that runs through the album. Technically it’s well played but I think by now we’d well and truly got the idea that it’s tough out there. I suppose it does all portray a world of struggle, which was after all the theme of this album.
I found “Ikigai” a test of endurance. It’s impressive in its dark way but there are too few striking developments to trigger the listener’s imagination in this heavy and harsh world.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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