In exaggerative expansion upon their pandemic-era spawned collaboration Minneapolis, Minnesota-based experimental bestial death metal quartet ABERRATION arrive upon purposefully mutilated stream of consciousness on this dismally introspective debut full-length album. ‘Refracture‘ presents gluey, nauseated shards of their craft as seepage through a familiar lens of surrealistic abstraction wherein war metallic pulse is given to longer form dissonant death metal ’til a pustulant sensation of anxiety and malaise extrudes. The effect is an oily, agitated baptism away from the light which drains the senses and leaves the mind scoured of all but pure dread.

Aberration formed circa 2020 as a fusion-dance between folks responsible for such horrors as Void Rot, Suffering Hour and Nothingness for the sake of collaborating on a dissonant blackened death metal project that’d combined their capabilities and potentially something darker, more obscurant by comparison. The result of their initial meeting was a notable enough EP (‘Aberration‘, 2021) which’d done well to translate the general innovation of Portal‘s ‘Outre‘ wherein the tact of slithering avant-garde movement was given a blunt almost bestial black/death metal treatment, favoring abrupt bursts of brutality and louder-droning features otherwise. At the time I was tentatively impressed: “[…] I trust that this project will develop in the same way [as Void Rot‘s build up to their debut LP] seeking out their most meaningful shapes. I’m not falling out of my chair just yet but if we can consider ‘Aberration’ a proof of concept and a showcase for texture then I’m on board for what is next.” and I don’t believe ‘Refracture‘ has subverted those expectations of texture and potentially larger expanses explored as these longer and less compacted songs deliver their plodding exaggerations, albeit with far more finesse.

Not to nitpick, and I know this may come across as pedantic, but refraction (the effect of light passing through various medium) and refracture (the intentional or unintentional repeat fracture of bone) don’t overlap in their verbage or meaning. While I understand that many extreme metal fans don’t pay much mind to the vague concepts of albums like ‘Refracture‘ the suggested theme of this album is a contortion of consciousness as if it were light, the dampening and dispersal of the ‘self’ into abominant form(s). So, for those digging into the lyrics hoping for nods to cryptic osseus horrors keep in mind this is a light-devouring abyssal death metal experience first and foremost. I’d describe the effect and the greater undertaking of this listening experience no different than I had back in 2021 wherein the surreal sensation of late 2000’s Portal sidled up against their war-metallic compatriot Impetuous Ritual with some additional balancing out of the nauseating chaos achieved by way of interstitial noise, both harsh and dark ambient. That isn’t to suggest that they’ve not been inventive in any sense but rather a familiar frame of reference for what they’ve contorted here over the course of the anxietous, harrowing ~43 minute run through it all.

Ten plus minute opener “Antithesis” steadily realizes this description between slow militaristic blasts, gurgling guitar effects in buried layers, and quickly cycling wrist-wrenching arpeggiation as the swerving bestial throttle is cranked to a hum beneath a scream within the first minute or so. While the wreckage that results for those first three or so minutes might not sink in upon induction none would blame the ultimate take to be something like atmospheric war metal especially within that fourth minute where we reach a full stop, the voices come snarling from below and the surreal ambiance builds to an appreciably sinister point of slow-drain. Extra layers of guitar bends and scrambling accompaniment soon additionally justify past comparisons to late 2010’s Altarage and (again) Portal in terms of their movement along the industrial-chunked ups and downs of said rhythmic staircase. The advancing motorik feeling of said movement translates directly into the scraping dread which kicks off “Wresting Vibrations” and at this point the length of these songs begins to justify itself through repetition, letting each idea generate its heat and prepare to transition to the next part, rarely directly repeating said section or riff concoction. Though this particular song is linear in its descent there are repeated transitional techniques which help each successive tangent remain related but not flatly strung together as the momentum generated is one of the most important sensations available to the full listen. We likewise get our first takes of harsh mecha-ambiance within the final third of said piece.

From that point I am not sure a detailed analysis or play-by-play will benefit any concerted listener as the broad palette described is used to create atmospheric collisions for the remaining three songs. “Interstitial Enmity” reaches for more of a death metal centered realm, something like Mitochondrion without their brutal edge alongside some more percussive movements and closer/title track (“Refracture”) but at this point you’ll already require another listen or ten to fully grasp the general swerving dreariness and mania available to Aberration‘s work. Without any obviate foundation to land upon throughout its length the malaise of ‘Refracture‘ is one of its most potent results, an anxietous run-on thread which intensifies in tandem with the amount of time invested. This style plays best to the ear willing to go with the flow, never seeking to directly stab into the listener with more than the occasional abrupt bestial death infused movement, keeping its distance with a menacing swarming effect. For my own taste their work is as close to pleasure listening this type of horrified ulterior death metal comes, opting out of pure torture while still bearing a slapping-raw edge which keeps return listening eventful. A moderately high recommendation.

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