Yes, Abnormality is brutal, and it takes less than two
second for the band’s new album “Contaminating the Hive Mind” to deliver a
full-on sonic beat down. And to those who simply want to let the
machine-gunning drums, wiry guitars and chopped up howl of vocal melodies knock
them down, “Contaminating the Hive Mind” works like a charm.
But this record has more to offer than its pure physical
aggression. Lyrically, the band puts up defiant criticism of political and
social systems that breed apathy (and ultimately misery). Abnormality can also
weave a pretty good future-shock yarn, as heard on “Monarch Omega,” a song the
band shot a video for.
“Lyrically, I think we come at it a little differently than
other bands,” says Abnormality guitarist Jeremy Henry. “We’re all political and
have opinions. How can that not influence your music? I love death metal, but
some of the gore gets overplayed.”
But don’t worry death fans, Abnormality has you covered, too,
with the cannibalism gross-out of “Taste of Despair.”
Henry and fellow guitarist Ben Durgin recently weighed in on
“Contaminating the Hive Mind,” which Sevared Records released June 1. Abnormality
plays a CD-release show Thursday, June 7, at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester. Naegleria, Soul Remnants and Soul
Annihilation are also on that Metal Thursday bill, which gets under way at 9 p.m..
And then Abnormality embarks
on a month-long coast-to-coast tour.
In 2005, a bunch of expats from other bands pulled together
in Marlboro to form Abnormality. Singer Mallika Sundaramurthy , drummer Jay
Blaisdell, and guitarist Henry are part of the original lineup. Bassist Josh
Staples came on board in 2009, and Durgin joined the following year after the
band shook out some differences of opinion about musical direction.
Sundaramurthy is a rarity in the extreme-music ranks, a
woman who can summon a subsonic low-end growl while still meticulously
controlling a staccato lyrical flow. Her vocal style and drummer Blaisdell’s
propulsive work give Abnormality a strong foundation atop which the guitar and
bass parts can maneuver with a degree of nuance that isn’t strictly tied to one
orthodoxy.
“We weren’t trying to steer this in one direction,” Henry
says. “The way we work definitely causes arguments and fighting, but in the
long run it works out.”
And even when Abnormality thought it had some of the new
songs worked out, the final results were surprisingly different once the band
recorded the material.
“A lot of the songs took on their own life,” Henry says.
“The songs evolve during the recording process.”
Durgin says he saw his job as serving the song, adding leads
that were not so much what a metal head would expect, but what the song could
bring as fresh meat to the metal feast.
“My biggest focus with my leads was to serve the song, while
still pushing my technical limits,” Durgin writes in an email. “I'd like to
think I accomplished that mission, especially with the ‘Schismatic’ solo. I
love how it came out, but that thing is a pain in my ass. Well, more my left
hand, I don't play guitar with my ass anymore.”
(And yeah, they don’t let the evil overtake their
personalities, either).
While the technical chops are apparent, less
obvious ingredient that gives Abnormality an edge, Henry says, is its songwriting. The sheer
force of the music can cloud some of the details, which is true of any extreme
music. But bands that have that level of detail_ be it Cannibal Corpse or
Dillinger Escape Plan_ tend to be the ones that stick around.
“The writing is what gives us cohesion. You can’t be a bunch
of solo-session players and expect a record or band to sound good,” Henry says.
“We don’t want to be just brutal, or just technical, and it’s the writing that
helps us find that balance.”
In addition to being sold at shows, “Contaminating the Hive
Mind” can be ordered through the Sevared Records website, www.sevared.com, and is available on iTunes
and other digital services.
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