ninehertz

Abjection Ritual’s Soul of Ruin, Body of Filth was a masterpiece of black-hearted misery of coalesced death metal, industrial, noise and doom, that bludgeoned its way into our albums of the year back in 2018. After which, I lost sight of them, assuming they had disappeared but in fact releasing records on labels out of my eyeline, until now.

Black Goat Records release Sewers of Perdition, a thankful reminder of a name I had not though of for some time. Abjection Ritual’s mindset has seemingly remained the same in the years since, but they’re now more solely based within harsh noise output. This is set within ominous industrial landscapes, from which a clanging mire of noises, screams and masked spoken word voices make for an unsettling experience.

Large sections could be lifted from field recordings from within the titular sewers, sat upon minimalist dark drones or buzzing industrial static flares. On the aptly named Tiny Atrocities scraping violins, screaming horses and woodland animal cries combine in a warped way which could send you crazy if played on a loop.

There’s a comparison to be made with the scarred worlds of Gnaw Their Tongues throughout. It resides on the boundary of minimal industrial and sheer harsh noise, presumably lovingly made but oppressively delivered.