CoC : Abscess - Tormented : Review

Abscess - _Tormented_
(Listenable, 2000)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)

It's just possible that some poor misled soul has led you to think that _Tormented_ can rise to the challenge of in some way matching up to Autopsy's 1991 classic, _Mental Funeral_. However, though Reifert and his present cohorts did indeed return to Different Fur in San Francisco to lay down the thirteen tracks which make up Abscess' latest recording, _Tormented_ is not the second coming drenched in blasphemous gore which one supposes Reifert may one day make to death metal. On the other hand, _Tormented_ is surprisingly good for an Autopsy fan such as myself who always felt Abscess was just a silly mistake bred of not knowing when things stop being disgusting and just get a bit silly -- that combined with listening to a bit much of the wrong kind of punk. _Tormented_ proves to be a well assembled pile of rotting blasphemy- and madness-drenched decay, and demonstrates that some character-building dabbling has been going on in the Abscess camp. The invasion of death rocking guitars set to "Entombed overdrive" in "Madness and Parasites", "Halo of Disease" and "Ratbag" suggest that Reifert watched the progression of the nineties contemporaries he had ironically helped influence into existence. Despite its moments of quality, _Tormented_ is ultimately unlikely to be of sustained interest: a year from now, I doubt anyone will really care about it. It may seem harsh, but whatever its redeeming qualities, Autopsy's latest displays nothing to me to suggest it will warrant remembering.

(article published 10/1/2001)

ALBUMS
20/4/2007	T DePalma	6	Abscess - Horrorhammer
11/4/2003	P Schwarz	8	Abscess - Through the Cracks of Death
18/11/1996	A Bromley	4	Abscess - Seminal Vampires and Maggot Men