Friday, January 27, 2012

Treblinka - Severe Abomination (1989)


Coming just a few months after The Sign of the Pentagram, Severe Abomination is the band's final release as Treblinka. One might expect this material to sound quite close to the songs presented on Sumerian Cry, but this is actually much harsher. Released in July 1989, this 7" E.P. offers another wicked dose of old school Black Metal. With two demos under their belts, it is interesting to see which songs were chosen to represent this once-unholy cult.

Musically, the title track takes things to a whole new level of viciousness. The guitars seem to possess a sharper sound, cutting through you like a fresh razor. Even Hellslaughter's vocals come across as more venomous and threatening. Both songs exhibit a good deal of variety in tempo, though there are a lot of fast-paced riffs. The lead solos are characterized by a haunting, almost serpentine quality, while the overall onslaught leaves the listener in a weakened state. This is very hideous and pretty far removed from the more melodic Black Metal compositions that would arise a few years later. The production is completely horrid and underground. The primitive sound matches the barbaric musical approach, and everything comes together to create something truly ugly and violent. The sound is much more treble-oriented, rather than the more bass-heavy sound of the demos. It may seem odd that "Earwigs In Your Veins" was the second song chosen to round out this E.P. The title track from Crawling in Vomits would have seemed like a more obvious choice, for example.

It is a shame that this band did not continue on playing Black Metal, as it suited them much more. Unfortunately, many in the Swedish underground were turning toward Death Metal during the late '80s. At any rate, any fan of Treblinka or early Tiamat should seek out Severe Abomination, in whatever manner possible.