Abiotic are a tech-death/deathcore band from Florida and their third album Ikigai (Japanese for a reason to live) came out on February 12th, 2021 on The Artisan Era Records.
Formed in 2010, disbanded in 2016, and reformed in 2018, this band consists of some highly skilled musicians: Johnathan Matos, master guitarist, Zack Galfinakis impersonator, and host of The Big Shred Podcast, Matt Mendez master guitarist as well and throat mutilator Travis Bartosek. Joining them are new drummer/engineer/producer Anthony Lusk-Simone and bass fingerer Kilian Duarte. Just after their rebirth, a great idea bubbled up in their minds: let's saltbae some Japanese culture on the next record. Hentai? Boring. Samurai? Sure. Good choice guys.
When I looked at the album cover (nice work Caelan Stokkermans) I thought ‘Hey cool, a prog death metal band with Japanese concepts I should listen to this' and I did. I listened to 'Smoldered' and that song is great. You have something to hold onto, verses, a chorus, vocal melodies (I love the power of guest vocalist Chaney Crabb of Entheos). Interesting bass and guitar work, some ambient and postrock atmospherics. Great. Then I started listening to the entire album and I could not get my head around what the fuck is happening. To be clear, what these guys do with their instruments takes time and discipline. Weird time scales, tempo changes that come out of nowhere, double bass drums, piano, and riffs that really need some quick wrist movement. These guys are masturbating their instruments to hell. But the end result is going all over the place, and that is what is happening on Ikigai. The songs feel like they are not going anywhere, they last 5 minutes on average, but it seems like they last 10 minutes or longer. There are so many changes, I could hardly keep up. If you are into that, this record is a paradise for you. For me, I really like the bass sound on this record and that is because I'm a huge Thundercat fan. The bass solo 'fight' with Archspire bassist Jared Smith is one of the highlights of this album. The rest of the album does not grab me as much as it should I guess. And Trevor Strnad and Brandon Ellis of The Black Dahlia Murder are doing their absolute best, but they are not making the record better. Or maybe I am not a tech-death/deathcore guy? Well, let's see. I have heard deathcore bands and I am getting used to it. I love a great breakdown. Changing Tides from The Netherlands always deliver in that part. When it comes to technical death metal then I have to say I like the old school guys like Death and Suffocation. I have heard Rings Of Saturn but it was too chaotic for me, the same with The Faceless.....
'You're giving me the 'it's not you, it's me' routine?!' Sorry guys, I think I am: I am not a tech-death/deathcore guy.
But!
I am an Asian guy! To be fair, half Asian, and so I waited for the Asian influences to arrive after Natsukashii was over. I expected some old man playing a Japanese guitar-like instrument. Or Japanese people talking or someone reading death poems. The intro is beautiful, it sets the scene for ancient Japan, guys with top knots, swords, and blood. But the rest of the album does not contain anything that takes me back to that period. Bummer.
Abiotic wanted to create a death metal soundtrack for a futuristic samurai movie, which is a very fruitful idea. Unfortunately, their execution falls somewhat short. I think they put too many ideas in the music. The record is crowded with lots of unnecessary tinkering and that left too little space for more Japanese musical influences. And to quote Seinfeld again: 'That's a shame.' Because all the guys clearly have a talent for music.
Or I am just not a tech-death guy.
Tracklist:
Natsukashii
Ikigai
Covered The Cold Earth
Smoldered
The Wrath
If I Do Die
Souvenir Of Skin
Her Opus Mangled
Horadric Cube
Grief Eater, Tear Drinker
Gyokusai