One of the must-see bands of the current Death Metal and Deathcore scene worldwide opens their demonic vault of horrors to bring brutality, gore and evil to our damned souls.

Since their unholy inception in 1995, Belgian Death Metal/Grindcore miscreants Aborted have been one of the pioneers of the genre and have annihilated friend and foe with relentless intensity and an uncompromising mix of flawless technicality and raw emotion. Now in 2024 the band currently formed of frontman Sven De Caluwé, guitarists Daníel Máni Konráðsson and Ian Jekelis, and drummer Ken Bedene, plus bassist Stefano Franceschini (who left the band in 2023) and guest musician Spencer Creaghan on synthesizers, returns with a worthy follow-up to their 2021 album ManiaCult, a sonic beast entitled Vault of Horrors. Produced, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio Studio, and displaying a sick artwork by Dan Goldsworthy (who has already worked with titans the likes of Corpsegrinder, Accept, Alestorm, Cradle of Filth, Gloryhammer, and many more), Aborted’s twelfth studio album dives deep into the vaults of VHS cassettes and stories that have been haunting us all for decades, with each song paying tribute to a horror cult classic ranging from obligatory cuts such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (to be found on Death Cult) or Halloween (The Shape Of Hate) to the more recent The Mist (to be discovered on Malevolent Haze), and with each one of its ten ferocious, gut-wrenching Death Metal slashers featuring a very special guest vocalist to add an extra touch of brutality and gore to Aborted’s trademark sound.

Featuring guest vocalist Ben Duerr (of Shadow Of Intent), the opener Dreadbringer offers our putrid ears sick lyrics (“Awake, bringing forth this disease / Multiply to dominate, your soul I’ll penetrate / Corrupt, contaminate, and imitate, eradicate / Your path leads right through us with no way to circumvent it”) and endless savagery in a beautiful fusion of Death Metal and Deathcore, followed by Condemned to Rot, with guest vocalist Francesco Paoli (of Fleshgod Apocalypse) barking like a beast, another lesson in brutality by Aborted with the insane drums by Ken bringing sheer aggression to the music; and featuring guest vocalist Johnny Ciardullo (of AngelMaker), Brotherhood of Sleep leans towards modern-day Deathcore, where Sven and Johnny make a demented vocal duet while Daníel and Ian keep slashing their axes in the name of violence. Then get ready to break your neck headbanging like a maniac to Death Cult, where Sven and guest vocalist Alex Erian (of Despised Icon) roar manically while the rest of the band doesn’t leave a single space left in the air with their first-class, inhumane instrumental parts; whereas Hellbound is another explosion of violence where the band’s Technical Death Metal side is boosted by the sick vocals by guest Matt McGachy (of Cryptopsy).

The pulverizing Insect Politics, featuring guest vocalist Jason Evans (of Ingested), might have less than two minutes in duration, but the music is as infernal and intense as its predecessors, resulting in a fantastic tune for hammering our skulls into the circle pit; and Aborted show no mercy for our putrid souls in The Golgothan, offering more of their trademark violence and dexterity, with Sven once again leading his horde with his deep, visceral growls supported this time by guest vocalist Hal Microutsicos (of Blasphemous and Engulf). There’s no time to breathe as The Shape of Hate is another blast of dementia and Death Metal by the band, where guest vocalist Oliver Rae Aleron (of Archspire) offers his trademark rap-like guttural, making the whole song even more insane and vibrant; and there’s still time for another thunderous, inhumane tune titled Naturom Demonto, featuring guest vocalist David Simonich (of Signs of the Swarm), with the rumbling bass by Stefano and the blast beats by Ken making the earth tremble. Of course the album wasn’t going to be complete without a massive dosage of sulfur, courtesy of guest vocalist Ricky Hoover (of Ov Sulfur) in Malevolent Haze, another feast of slashing riffs, crazy drums and demonic vociferations to end the album on a beyond violent and Stygian note.

In a nutshell, with this deadly alliance, Vault of Horrors is an epic journey where listeners are thrust into a world of intense brutality, characterized by lightning-fast guitar riffs, intricate, pummeling drum patterns and monstrous vocals that leave no room for respite. “As usual, the guest vocalists were all chosen out of friends, people we’ve known for years or got to know in the last years, toured with, or have a connection with. Hal from Engulf was also picked since I did a guest spot on their record and loved his vocals. The guys from Ingested, Carcosa, Ov Sulfur were people that we toured with last year. We also go way back with Archspire, Despised Icon, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Cryptopsy. Being able to collaborate with all these great artists is such a privilege and made the process all the more exhilarating since each of them bring their own flavour to the mix. The enthusiasm of everyone involved definitely shines through to the final product and adds yet another layer of depth to the listening experience of the album,” commented Sven, and if you want to show Aborted your utmost support and admiration you can check out what the band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel, stream more of their music on Spotify, and of course purchase the imposing Vault of Horrors by clicking HERE or HERE. In other words, let’s see if you have what it takes to face the brutality, gore and evil found inside the vault of horrors by one of the leaders of the current extreme music scene worldwide.

Best moments of the album: Brotherhood of Sleep, Death Cult, Insect Politics and The Shape of Hate.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Nuclear Blast

Track listing
1. Dreadbringer 5:30
2. Condemned to Rot 2:56
3. Brotherhood of Sleep 3:55
4. Death Cult 3:40
5. Hellbound 4:47
6. Insect Politics 1:44
7. The Golgothan 4:19
8. The Shape of Hate 4:17
9. Naturom Demonto 4:03
10. Malevolent Haze 4:53

Band members
Sven De Caluwé – vocals
Daníel Máni Konráðsson – guitar
Ian Jekelis – guitar
Stefano Franceschini – bass
Ken Bedene – drums

Guest musicians
Ben Duerr – vocals on “Dreadbringer”
Francesco Paoli – vocals on “Condemned to Rot”
Johnny Ciardullo – vocals on “Brotherhood of Sleep”
Matt McGachy – vocals on “Hellbound”
Jason Evans – vocals on “Insect Politics”
Hal Microutsicos – vocals on “The Golgothan”
Oliver Rae Aleron – vocals on “The Shape of Hate”
David Simonich – vocals on “Naturom Demonto”
Ricky Hoover – vocals on “Malevolent Haze”
Alex Erian – vocals on “Death Cult”
Spencer Creaghan – synthesizers