At some point, a little bit can take anyone extremely far. Even the slightest nudge in the right direction can send anyone down a completely new path filled with potential and options the likes of which can be no less than life-changing, but it’s another thing altogether to not only see those opportunities but pursue and seize them for all that they can be. Metal has no shortage of bands that come ever so close to snatching real magnificence but fall just short even if the final result is still impressive. Those rising through obscurity can find themselves making all the right moves, but it can be years before things come together for an impressive peak that’s truly something to behold. With their first full-length album, Abyssal Vacuum accomplishes that in spectacular fashion.

There’s something about black metal that has attracted legions upon legions of bands over the years, and it shouldn’t take a great detective to realize that many of these acts retreading much of the same ground exhaustively whether they intend to do so or not. As such, there are plenty of acts that can feel stale, but it’s because of names like Abyssal Vacuum that the genre is still going quite strong. What we are treated to throughout the whole of this eponymous album is not just well-done black metal with plenty of atmosphere, riffs, and menace to call its own as there’s one thing above all else that Abyssal Vacuum uses to great effect: it’s a smart record. Dripping with sinister intent in practically every given inch of these six tracks and labyrinthine songwriting that were as twisting as they were captivating, occultic cues ooze out of each moment to give this record an air of authenticity and power that much of black metal strives for but never manages to ascertain on such an exquisite level. Constantly beckoning you in further into its swirling darkness, this is a creation that knows precisely what it’s going for and knows how to do it all in extravagant fashion that leaves you positively enamored. Ethereal but with more than enough power to rend the very sky, Abyssal Vacuum pulled no punches in this entire effort and hit their mark in practically every possible instance.

After four EPs that have built quite a reputation for this French act, this album is the culmination of a band that has made all the right moves and thought about damn near every possible outcome with intellect and precision with it all being done to magnificent and tremendous effect. Abyssal Vacuum has long been an act that lingers and seethes in the darkness of real obscurity that’s to be found in the underground with this effort their largest and most potent assault upon life itself and all that it holds dear with the future theirs for the taking so that further assaults of greater magnitude are practically guaranteed.

LISTEN to “Abyssal Vacuum” on Bandcamp here.

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