Cognitive – Abhorrence
Reviewed By: Jim Harrison
Review Score: 8.5
Technical death metal masters Cognitive are set to release their fifth highly anticipated album Abhorrence. This is a perfect follow up to their 2021 release, Malevolent Thoughts of A Hastened Extinction, as they wrote most of this album while on the road touring. I love it when bands do this focusing on the performance and writing on limited downtime proving how hardworking this band is.
Rob Wharton (guitar), Harry Lannon (guitar), Shane Jost (vocals), Tyler Capone-Vitale (bass), A.J. Viana (drums) mesh an old-school technical death metal sound pushing its relevance in 2024. The listener can actually feel how much these guys like playing together as it comes through loud and clear on this album.
The album begins with a heavy smash to the face with the title track ‘Abhorrence’. This fast paced heavy guitar driven track mixes clean with heavy vocals, starting the album off on a heavy footing. Half way though things get even heavier. The assault to the senses continues with ‘Insidious’, another super heavy track and is one of my favourite songs on the album, it doesn’t let you come up for air. The pounding drums and bass just thumps… mercilessly. This has killer vocals and is a superb track.
‘A Pact Unholy’ has a wicked guitar riff that complements the vocal change ups from heavy, high, to clear. This is another amazing track and is another personal favourite of mine. Guitars are phenomenal in this track. ‘Ivory Tower’ keeps the blue print of this album going fast and furious.
‘As The Light Fades’ has a wicked guitar intro. Shane’s vocal range is amazing and this song showcases that. ‘Savor The Suffering’ has a Deicide vibe and this is another favourite of mine. This would be a wicked live track. The growls are fantastic and this definitely has an earworm affect.
‘Containment Breach’ has a thrashy death metal vibe. This is a cool song and I love the pounding drums. ‘Rorschach’ is an absolute face melter of a track, I can only describe it as a cornucopia of everything death metal.
‘Lunar Pyschopathy’ rips through your soul. What a fantastic guitar solo. The last track on the album ‘Cold Dead Hands’ finishes this album off in style, this is another heavy unrelenting track that pounds the listener into submission. I sound like a broken record but this is another favourite of mine.
One thing is for sure, this album is destined to be included in the top echelon for death metal releases for this year. I love it when a band brings a fresh outlook and reinvigorates the genre. This is evidence that death metal is alive and well in 2024.
I suggest this release to not only fans of the death metal genre but metal fans looking for something super heavy and technically superior. This album is definitely designed to be played at eleven.
Abhorrence drops May 17th, 2024 via Metal Blade Records.