Review: “Atma Conflux” by Abstracted

Formed in San Paulo Brazil in 2014, birthed from the ashes of Nyth, a project that Rosano Matiussi (vocals/guitars) and Guilherme Nolasco (guitars) had been involved Abstracted was conceived taking the name from a song by Swedish Melodic Death Metal greats Scar Symmetry. Influences from other European acts such as Necrophagist and Gojira alongside those of American bands such as The Faceless and Between The Buried And Me helped the band find a sound for their debut 2015 EP “Ophidian” a record that features guest appearances from Allegaeon guitarists Michael Stancel and Greg Burgess. The writing phase of the bands debut album started in 2018 and a four year gestational period which also saw the band rounded out by a rhythm section of Riverton Vivela on bass and Alexandre Dantas on drums add Carol Claro on keyboards in orderto build the symphonic elements of their already-expansive sound…

…and for any Progressive Death Metal band, a debut album of 64 minutes is a brave offering that demonstrates ambition and dedication to the cause if nothing else and what they deliver is a surprisingly mature and well defined offering. Front loaded with vibrant, playful and often intricate lead guitars that find Matiussi and Nolasco dueling like Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu from Trivium which also provide moments to return to as there is so much going on your simply can not take it all in with one single offering, the record finds an anchoring balance between the melodic and the heavier elements all the while having a nostalgic look back to the 80’s Thrash and Death Metal sounds of sonic oblivion. In terms of musicanship and craftsmanship the album is one very hard to fault, the longer instrumental passages perfectly weighted to provide intrigue and suspense, the band following their instincts and allowing the songs to play out for as long as they feel necessary and note worthy and they have an exceptional ear for that as it is extremely well balanced. Each cut is multi dimensional with elements of Lamb Of God esq Groove Metal playing off against things you’d expect to hear from Scott Carstairs outfit Fallujah while those Symphonic elements are dialled back to an embellishment in order to make for a more riff  driven sound that is nothing short of pulsating from start to finish.

The only real surprise is here are the clean vocal passages which provide curiously Punk Pop and Post Hardcore tones to “Eightfold Path“, “Ethereal Rebirth” and to a lesser extent “Ego Death” as the band get experimental with texuture. That’s not to say that those cuts aren’t quintessential listening with plenty of heavy moments but just that the band aren’t afraid to push their boundaries and those of the listener to the nth degree. “Eightfold Path” even has an almost Jazz inspired breakdown section that just needs a saxophone to be in Rivers Of Nihil territory while also having a plethora of blast beats. Mike Semesky of Raunchy and Interloper fame lends his throat to “Decree Of Sunlight“, acting as the perfect counter weight to Matiussi and in all honesty there isn’t a better fitting guest for this record, his performance on what is a mesmerising and breathtaking track right up there with the best of bands like Allegaeon with a glorious playfulness is a dark beauty to behold. The finale of “Prospection – Ethereal Rebirth” is a near sixteen minute magnum opus that you simply don’t want to end, a fine summary piece that wraps up the sound of Abstracted with a bow as the gift that simply keeps giving. It has absolutely everything as the mirrors reflection of the record as a whole while also having the finest kit performance from Dantas who has a clean and crisp drum sound throughout while his whirlwinds of percussive battery provide the perfect backbone upon which the others can paint by numbers to create the portrait of Progressive Melodic Death Metal perfection, for  “Atma Conflux” isn’t just a debut album, it’s an unbridled joy [9/10]

Track listing

1. Introspection – Ego Death
2. Wither To Dust
3. Whisper Into The Void
4. Between Samsara And Samadhi
5. Eightfold Path
6. Decree Of Sunlight (ft. Mike Semesky of Raunchy, Interloper)
7. Prospection – Ethereal Rebirth

“Atma Conflux” by Abstracted is out 15th April 2022 via M-Theory Audio and is available over at bandcamp