Not to sound like a total dick, but I wasn’t really expecting something so good when I snagged the new EP, Eden of the Doomed, from Germany’s Abythic. Not to say that I thought they weren’t a good band, but if I’m being candid, my only experience with the group was hearing 2019’s Conjuring the Obscure release once, maybe twice. Though it seems that I recall liking said album and it’s more Swe-death nature. Apparently the band made a bit of a stylistic shift to doom filled focuses with their following album, Dominion of the Wicked, but alas I still haven’t listened to it as of the writing of this review. Okay, back to the lecture at hand, Eden of the Doomed is a three track affair that blissfully shines in its excellent conglomeration of Autopsy and Bolt Thrower. Upon my initial investigation into Eden of the Doomed, I felt a bit let down that there were only three tracks to be offered, but considering each song clocks in at around the six minute mark, give or take, the just shy of eighteen minutes affair turns out to be quite satisfying and perfectly paced for multiple back to back listens.

“Revelaton from the Great Vastness Thereafter” sets the tone quickly as crushing riffage melds with a massive doom flavored dirtiness that manages to be both clean and hard hitting in its presentation. The multiple vocals gives that Autopsy flair of unhingedness as does the overall vibe of the music itself. Gone are the more direct almost Swedish death metal attributes of what I seem to  remember from Conjuring the Obscure. This is death doom of great quality, sure to appease fans and stalwarts of not only the aforementioned Bolt Thrower and Autopsy, but of Asphyx, Dismember/Entombed, Obliteration, and Incantation. Many times Abythic manages to give me the same feelings that the two Murder Squad albums were able to induce; that wonderfully dirty and dank catchy death metal that seemed to ride the rails of almost coming part though in a perfectly planned manner. Controlled chaos. Not because of the chaotic and/or technical prowess of the notes themselves, but, to steal the the debut title from Murder Squad, in the insane, insane, and mentally deranged nature that Abythic are able to achieve. Some fat chunky riffs as well as some memorable melodic ideas, if that’s what you want to call them, all come together in an asylum metal of death totality that simple rules.

A bit faster in pacing and tempo, though no less crushing in its tank like fortitude, “Conquest of the One True Creed” comes in taking no prisoners, reminding again of Bolt Thrower or Temple of Void with its dominating heaviness. About the track’s halfway point sees that Auotpsy/Murder Squad essence rearing its head as pained tormented screams and Germanic spoken word mix with slow tortured doom infused death. The clarity of it all while still coming off in a filthy aesthetic is fantastic. A bit of the olden ways of Abythic pop up for a blast beat induced barrage of tremolo picked, raged fueled death before letting off the steam a little before fading things out quickly and effectively. A great track, that gave me a bit of that same excited-ness equivalent to the first time I heard the old Earache Grindcrusher compilation, back in the day.

With a spoken intro of the Teutonic tongue shifting over to English and nestling in behind some fat doom drenched chords and a simple yet effective melody line, “Victory in Your Eden of the Doomed” eventually opens up into another fat riffed monster, wielding the hammer of crushing old school death metal while simultaneously riding the sharpened edge of the sword of doom. The track never really strays away from the intial plan and path it sets up, but it works in its driving emotion and balanced structure and ends up feeling shorter then its five minute run time. Before you know it, the EP is over and ready to rip again. Abythic and Eden of the Doomed are kind of the aural equal of being hung, drawn, and quartered. Brutal, disgusting, unsettling and maybe a tad long in the tooth, but also dynamic and epic, and definitely get the job done.

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