When a little known EP by the moniker of ‘Malignant Deviation’ fell into my inbox to dissect and critique I relished the opportunity as I was teased with the tag line of blackened death metal, and that is enough to get the intrigue and fascination flowing.

Abjection are a fresh-faced Canadian quartet and they have bulldozed this EP onto the world in order to show their intent and absolutely brutal and crushing power. ‘Malignant Deviation’ may only be six tracks, but they are tracks loaded with brashness and confidence, bass lines heavy as hell and drum work which pounds and smashes with each beat that goes by

The albums intro ‘Of Consuming Decay’ starts with a melodic guitar score backed by a relentless percussion which leads smoothly into an illusion of sleep, an absolute beast of a tune. The vocals of Benoit are mature and growling with absolute precision and determination. the strings of Horton and Jmourovski are thrashy and speedy with no respite at all. Guitar solos are injected into the track at perfectly timed segments which seem to add menace and debauchery with each stroke of the fretboard.

‘The Black Stag’ starts with an intro worthy of any comparison to any relevant thrash band on your radar before the track veers off onto the blackened death tracks once more. ‘The Black Stag’ seems to be more crunching and more vitriolic than the previous tracks. Once again, the vocals of Benoit are masterful and commanding with each exhale from his cavernous lungs. Clocking in as one of the longest tracks on the EP, this one gives the band opportunities to unleash their creative power and truly exhibit all their worth, from guitar solos and complex rhythmic sections to devastating and unrepenting drum and bass efforts.

‘Nightmares Awoken’ is just over two minutes and this is evident in the fact that the track wastes no time in launching off the blacks from the start. This is a speedy little number and the vocals seem to falter a little in attempting to keep pace with the trio of melody makers sitting behind them. All the strings and beat work intertwine together but the pulsating and deep vocals just seem to feel a little uneasy being matched with the more up-tempo structure.

Penultimate tune, ‘The Madness Within’, slows things down ever so slightly while still keeping an air of the speed about it. The whole carcass of the track seems to be repetitive to a degree and seems to be non-purposeful in this direction. There is a shadow hanging over the track and it just doesn’t seem to know its purpose or the ultimate result it is setting out to obtain. The misguidance of the track then leads into the swansong of the EP and the longest track on the package, ‘Darkness Unatterable’.

Much like its predecessor, ‘Darkenss Unatterable’ is a chunk of a song, truly crushing and battering with each moment that passes. The speed is still there, the powerful vocals and the intricacy of the fretwork, it just doesn’t seem to combine or gel together into a complete work, it seems fragmented and as if each party is out for their own gain without seeing the good of working as one towards a common aspiration, that’s not taking away from any of the individual components being capable and talented, there just doesn’t seme to be a structured story board for the flow of the track.

Sure, there is work to be done if Abjection are ever to sit alongside the greats, even the goods, of the death metal world, but this is definitely a good starter.

(6/10 Phil Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/abjectiondm

https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/malignant-deviation