A storming whirlwind of chaos, "Aborrent Fervor" is the latest chiasmic offering from French metallers VORTEX OF END. Thunderous dissonance that has become a key element of France's abrasive brand of Black Metal is glaringly present in this musical nightmare, with the blasting drums and guitars becoming a two-pronged assault on the senses. Dark, raw and driving, this is an excellent union of Black and Death metal, this feverish and nihilistic album paints a powerful artwork of carnage and beauty.

In their sixteenth year as a band, VORTEX OF END have streamlined their extreme sound, masterful instrumentation and song writing that perfectly brings together Death metal tonality and production quality, and the crushing atmosphere of Black Metal with a concise intent. Their dark aesthetic is embodied by the wonderfully artistic album art, which feels like a concept sketch for a scene from Hellraiser, or an illustration of the cosmic horror of Lovecraft.

The first track of the album, "Perdition Whorl," builds a horrific atmosphere with the crackling of a fire, wind that wails like screams and a metallic crescendo. The build-up is met with a satisfying burst of dense blast beats and tremolo guitars. Shrill melodies give way to abrasive drums that fill the soundscape with a constant noise, whether it be the cold snare blasts or the rapid double bass sections. The vocals, ferocious screams and growls mixed with chorused chants and hymnal vocalization fights to keep its head above the choppy engulfing water of the instrumentation, the mix giving each instrument equal opportunity to be heard.

"Golden Fragments" starts with a headbanging Bomb Blast that the guitar riffs dance around, the reverbed tone creating a wall of noise. The vocals are hoarse, resonant shouts, and often take a backseat to the instrumentation. The track stands out because of the slow, thoughtful riffs that wail over speeding rigid drums, giving lots of groove and emotion to the instrumentation.

Capping the album off with the ten-minute, atmosphere packed, and melody driven "Putrid Fluids," VORTEX OF END throws a curveball, following 5 tracks of abrasive, raw black Metal with a Hardcore influenced mix of blasting drums and shrill tremolo and slower, Doomy Heavy Metal sections, stuffed between an atmosphere driven musical sparseness at the beginning and end. Each song on "Aborrent Fervor" is rammed with different riffs and blast beat variations. Always creating a wall of dense musical chaos with thanks to the reverbed and ethereal mix. The vocals are loaded with passion and see a lot of variation for a Blackened Death Metal album, which lends to creating contrast in the occasionally samey instrumentation. The album retains a raw sound despite the high quality of production, and the influence of French Black Metal is present throughout.