Equillibrium_LXXXVIII
Never heard anything quite like Abhor. They got kind of a old school sound with ample use of organ which helps create the eerie atmospheres in conjunction with the evil howls.
Favorite track: Occulta religiO.
Sonny92
I know, italian symphonic black metal, bound to be cheesy, OTT shite, right? But wait. This is a million miles away from the ridiculousness of Cradle and Dimmu and is more in keeping with classic-era Emperor. No italian musical histrionics here, the organ is blended seemlessly (organ-ically?) into the overall aesthetic, without either swamping or detracting from the excellent riffing. Symphonic Black Metal done right.
IRON BONEHEAD PRODUCTIONS is proud to present ABHOR'S highly anticipated seventh album, Occulta religiO, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
ABHOR are a veritable institution of Italian black metal. Formed in 1995 in the northeast of Italy, the band began with a passion for black metal music and the study of esoteric arts. Less like a band and more like a congregation, ABHOR represent a form of global art that embraces musical art, visual art, and literal art. Their first musical manifestation came in 1998, with the first demo tape In Tuo Honori Preparatum. From there, ABHOR were off and running, subsequently releasing six albums with a variety of labels, doing honorable underground work. Within their ranks came many musicians, including members of compatriots Evol.
Throughout their sizable and uniformly high-quality discography, ABHOR have come to define post-millennial Italian black metal, driving deeply into a self-styled sound of Esoteric Horror Black Metal. Their last two albums, in particular - 2011's Ab Luna Lucenti, ab Noctua Protecti and 2015's Ritualia Stramonium, both critically acclaimed - proved that the band have only become more masterful at this more mature stage, and they carry forward that blazing-purple torch with Occulta religiO.
A work of bewitching mysticism and beyond-the-veil secrecy, Occulta religiO is black metal of an unmistakably ancient vintage. Neither regressive nor progressive, ABHOR simply conjure a now-trademark sound that ably balances doomed-out traditionalism, sinister textural layering, and impassioned playing. It all reaches a fever pitch on Occulta religiO, where the concepts of occultism, esotericism, alchemy, witchcraft, Satanism, and dark folklore are given flight on leathery wings. Spooky and spelunking, ABHOR here create seven spells in a compact 40 minutes, entrancing the listener with seamless ease, indeed vividly capturing the medieval sensations running through such songs as "Black Bat Recalls," "Engraved Formulas," "Demons Forged From the Smoke," and the all-too-telltale opener "Elemental Conjuring."
Buried by time and dust, ABHOR are not. Some spirits just linger through every epoch, and there you will find Occulta religiO.
supported by 32 fans who also own “Abhor - Occulta religiO”
never been a big death metal fan but this is actually super accessible for the genre, has fun concepts, and personally i'm always a fan of albums with short tracklists and huge runtimes (for individual songs) Great time, good jumping on point for newbies too. alienasu
supported by 27 fans who also own “Abhor - Occulta religiO”
Swirling guitars, furious drums, vocals that at the same time howl from infinite distance and are right up in your head; everything put into dissonant form with the help of unconventional songwriting. This album is my personal key to the icelanding black metal madness that I've ignored for way too long! Lukas Kaufmann