Review: ABDUCTION – All Pain as Penance

Year of release: 2019
Label: Inferna Profundus Records
Rating: 7,6 / 10

New album from a British solo project unfamiliar to me, pretending to be Black Metal. If I slightly doubt the latter - the British always prefer to show off instead of praising Satan straightforwardly - then there is no doubt about the quality of the music. ABDUCTION has the same vocal and composition style as the band that are similar to MGŁA (but not as MGŁA themselves; more like their followers, like our KHANDRA). Fast and simple music is gradually built brick by brick, reaching significant proportions by the end of the songs. However, the feelings that the album invokes are completely different: the darkness and the devilry are reminiscent of BEHEXEN, BAPTISM and other modern representatives of traditional Black Metal. The song “Convulsing at Baalbek” at first even reminds about primeval barbarism, but then suddenly begins to breathe with excellent and solemn melody. In the press release, it is rightly noted what exactly “All Pain as Penance” proves: it is not necessary to compromise in order to create an atmospheric or evil stuff. You can do everything at the same time. I note that most of the album consists of truly wonderful music, but rotten fragments are also found, but in minimal amounts. And well, the ambient track “Embattled”, perhaps, could be omitted. Another powerful release from Inferna Profundus - lately this label provides only the good stuff.