Abramelin is a death metal band from Australia, who formed in 1988. Their latest release, “Sins of the Father,” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released an EP and a compilation. This album is filled to bursting with amazingly well rounded song compositions. How many death metal albums concentrate on just one element? Being brutal? Powerful drums? Sick vocals? “Sins of the Father” takes all the elements of what makes a decent death metal album and incorporates them evenly across the board. This might be a ‘no frills’ but that in of itself is something that sticks out to me because the band, and album, doesn’t concern itself with anything other than doing what it needs to do: presenting pulverizing death fucking metal.

The riffs are many, and according to their Metallum page, they have three guitarists; they definitely use them to their fullest. The riff attacks are nonstop and surprisingly catchy for something this heavy. Rob Mollica (also plays bass), Matt Wilcock, and Joe Haley really give stunning performances. David Haley’s drums have a near perfect tone—he’s a machine all to himself but he never forgets to be part of the songs. Simon Dower’s vocals are FANTASTIC. Low growls, mid range screams, searing highs….this guy does it all. The production and mix is as bold and powerful as the extremity of their music. Every note sounds deep and full, rolling glaciers of death.

“Conflagration of the Dreamers,” opens with album with a massive punch to the gut—this song seems like an unstoppable juggernaut. The riffs and double bass work alongside each other, the audio equivalent of being smashed by two trains at once. This is one hell of an opener and If it doesn't excite you then check your pulse because YOU ARE DEAD. The title track is something else altogether—the frenzied riffs are so tight they feel like they could snap at any second. That's an apt way to describe the album as well—teetering on the edge of madness but never falling over but instead feastering to a roiling boil. The (slightly) slower parts in the song are gripping and a grind straight to the bone.

“Last Rite,” is a melodic twist for the album, beginning with a wonderful little passage before diving headfirst into the gore and guts. After the halfway point another melodic passage manifests and births a short but sweet solo. “Meet the Meat,” has some thrashy parts and the rhythm shines during that first melodic solo and once more during the second solo in the later half. The last minute or so of the song is ear blistering. The final song “You Bleed, I Feed,” has a dark atmosphere and is a little more moody than the others . Make no mistake however, it's just as visceral. The melodic passage after the solo is both groovy and catchy.

This is my first experience with the band but the impression they have left upon me is of a band with a rock solid approach to death metal. There isn’t anything flashy and nothing they do really fits into any one subgenre over another one. “Sins of the Father,” is an album that is balanced across the pantheon of extreme metal and offers a straight up 100% death metal.